To Take A Dare
by Firestar9mm
Summary: It starts, as some good things do, with a game of Truth or Dare gone horribly, horribly awry. As Truth or Dare usually does. Reviews are so much better than cigarettes.
1. When First We Practice To Deceive

**Author's Introduction:**

Hi everyone...

Sooner or later, I like to believe that all of us go a little crazy. We get scared, we feel small, and we latch on to anything that makes us happy. Some of us smoke. Some of us drink. Some of us do both those things and still have money for massive amounts of comic books and _Teen Titans_ VCDs.

So I thought I'd write a story

**I proudly wave the banner of the Robin/Raven pairing! Who's with me?**

On with the show.

* * *

_**To Take a Dare**_

_a first ever TT fic by Serena._

Um, Serena4. Sorry about that. Maybe I should change my name?

* * *

**Chapter One: When First We Practice To Deceive**

**_"The greatest dare is to tell the truth."_**

**(Madonna, _Truth or Dare_)**

* * *

"Dare!"

Trust Beast Boy, to immediately turn funny-side-up. There was no point in even asking—he'd always pick Dare.

Cyborg cracked his metal knuckles. It was obvious he was putting his electronic brain on overdrive in order to come up with the perfect dare. Unfortunately, Beast Boy hadn't picked Truth once during the entire game, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to think up bigger and better dares every time. Everyone seemed to share the same opinion, but only one player voiced it aloud.

"Beast Boy, this is getting ridiculous. You have to pick Truth next time, okay?" Robin tried to hide his smile, but was mostly unsuccessful in the attempt.

"That's because you cannot stop the _Daremaster!_" Beast Boy crowed, hopping up to the back of the leather sofa.

Rain tapped against the windows of Titans' Tower as if it wanted to come in. It had ruined the evening's game of volleyball, which in turn had ruined exactly one window, which was now covered by a pizza box taped to the frame. The box was slowly soaking through, evidence of how long the storm had been going on.

So the Titans had adjourned to the rec room, and the truth-telling and dare-taking had begun. The dares had been difficult to come up with straight out the gate, since Starfire already liked to drink mustard, but the game had been mostly successful until Beast Boy absolutely refused to the tell the truth. Now Star and Robin were racking their brains as well, trying to come up with a dare bad enough for their friend.

"Perhaps we should dare him to snoogle a morflerrk?" Starfire asked, to which she received raised eyebrows.

"We're kind of short on...morflerrks...around here, Star," Robin said by way of evasion. Luckily she accepted the explanation and nodded, while Robin propped a hand under his chin in what had come to be known as his "thinking" look.

The dare came from an unexpected corner—the corner Raven always curled up in with a book. She had been sitting with her pale, shapely legs folded beneath her, amethyst eyes more interested in _Slaughterhouse Five_ than in the game, but nine dares for Beast Boy had apparently been too much for even her. She unfurled from her corner of the sofa, beckoning Cyborg closer with one slender hand. Curious, the metal man rose from his place beside Starfire. He passed both the Tamaranean and the Boy Wonder, leaning close to Raven to hear the secret. Everyone was watching now, curious at the dark bird's show of attention to their game.

Cyborg broke the silence not with a word, but with a grin that he quickly turned on Beast Boy. "I dare you to keep quiet for fifteen minutes!"

Beast Boy's eyes widened, mouth opening as if to say _not cool_, then snapping shut defiantly in order to spite them and keep the dare. He glared over at Raven, but everyone else was smiling.

"Nice one," Robin chuckled.

Starfire clapped her hands gleefully. "Raven! You are playing with us!"

Raven blinked at that, as if the idea hadn't even occurred to her. She looked as though she wanted to protest, but said nothing. She lifted her book again warily, her amethyst eyes leaping nervously from the text every so often.

"Since BB can't talk for fifteen minutes, I guess I ask again," Cyborg said, with the pleasant tone of a megalomaniac. "Robbie, Truth or Dare?"

All unmasked eyes turned to the masked ones. Starfire especially turned in her seat, expectant, unsure if she would rather him choose Truth or Dare. Raven raised both her head from the Vonnegut and a brow at the Tamaranean's obvious affections towards the Boy Wonder, but said her usual nothing.

Robin was calm as the sea, head tilting to one side as he considered his options. Finally he said, "Truth."

Beast Boy couldn't keep his dare. "_Borrrrr_ing."

He was immediately thwacked with a pillow by Starfire, the pillow thoughtfully provided by Raven.

Cyborg pointed a finger at Robin like a spear. "What's your deepest, darkest secret?"

The smile flashed onto Robin's face quickly, and it was obvious that they weren't going to get the truth out of him. He made something up almost instantaneously. "Sometimes I eat Oreo cookies in the middle of the night for no reason."

Raven had to fight not to look up from her book that time. No one else bothered to hide what they were thinking—what secret could be so deep and dark that Robin wouldn't even _consider_ telling them?

"No _faiiiirrrr_, man!" Beast Boy chucked the pillow at Robin, who ducked. The pillow bounced off Cyborg's metal chest. Beast Boy hopped over Starfire, intending to prolong the pillow fight, but the Tamaranean interrupted. "Is the game over?"

Everyone looked up, but it was Robin who answered, not with a word, but with a question.

"Raven. Truth or Dare?"

The owner of that name didn't bother to hide her surprise, lilac eyes snapping open and the book falling from her hands completely. They all waited, watched her with steady gazes. Raven opened her mouth to say her usual, no, but their faces stopped her. Cyborg's easy smile was trained on her, a smile that demanded nothing. Beast Boy's eyes were bright and shining, ready for a laugh and a good time. Starfire's face was hopeful; she was always trying to draw Raven out of her shell. And Robin...

That unreadable face held a challenge. _Come on_, he seemed to tell her silently. _You're not made of stone...are you?_

She allowed a sigh to slip past her lips as she weighed the deadly options. There was no telling _what_ they'd dare her to do, so..."Truth."

Robin's grin, for possibly the first time ever, could be called wicked. "What's _your_ deepest, darkest secret?"

Their gazes dueled over the table, under the eyes of their teammates, as she answered the question and the challenge in all their faces. "Sometimes, when I'm alone in the tower..."

Beast Boy's eyes twinkled, as if he knew something good was coming. Starfire giggled.

Robin's face remained empty, waiting, but the muscles around his lips twitched and tightened, suppressing a smile.

Raven almost wanted to smile herself as she finished her sentence. "...I sing."

The reaction was instantaneous and loud, punctuated with a pillow to the back of Raven's head, courtesy of Beast Boy. "You have to tell the _truth!_" he squealed.

"Oh Raven!" Starfire clapped her hands innocently, a happy child. "What do you sing?"

"She doesn't sing, Star, she's teasing," Robin said, chuckling. "Good one, Raven."

Cyborg chuckled and shook his head. "No point in playing with you guys."

"Pillow attack!" Beast Boy leapt over the back of the sofa, whacking Starfire with the pillow. Cyborg seized another pillow, ready to back Star up. Robin watched the battle, unsure of which side to align himself on.

Raven collected her book, ready to retire to her room. She didn't look back, feeling the weight of a masked gaze between her shoulders.

She bit down on a rare smile. Her deepest, darkest secret?

She liked them. All of them.

* * *

There were few pleasures in life akin to the warmth that coursed through the veins during a cup of herbal tea. Which was why Raven was at the stove, a rare ghost of a smile playing about her lips in anticipation of liquid herbal calm. She turned the knob and watched the flame flicker blue beneath the kettle.

_"Deliver a favor to my love..._"

The whistle of the teakettle was a discordant note against her song.

"_Deliver a favor to my love_..."

"Truth," someone breathed from the doorway.

Raven whirled, startled by the voice, to see Robin standing behind her, a look of awe on his face. He was looking lazy and dangerous, leaning on the doorframe, one long muscular arm stretched above his head.

Embarrassed, she fought her blush as she muttered, "What?" peevishly.

A small smile crept across his face. "I didn't know you could sing. You thought you were alone?"

She frowned at him, blushing deeper. The answer to that question had been yes, but she remained stubbornly silent, backing up and finding that the stove was preventing her escape.

"_You_ thought you were alone," he said, walking closer, a look of amusement on his face. "_I_ thought you were teasing us about the singing. I didn't think that when I said _truth_...that you told the truth."

"The only one who wasn't truthful during that game was _you_," Raven snapped, not liking how he made her feel self-conscious. "Although I was not surprised."

Now his masked eyes widened. The look of amusement was gone; she had succeeded in shocking him.

Herbal tea wasn't worth this aggravation. She turned to abandon the teakettle and leave the room, but a firm grip on her arm stopped her. She tilted her head to look into his questioning face.

"Raven," he said softly. "When have I ever lied to you?" Realizing she was about to mention Slade, he added quickly, "When it was _important_."

Sighing, she turned her face away so he wouldn't see how bothered she was. "You don't lie to us, Robin. You just don't always tell us the truth."

"Tell you the truth? I'm nothing but truthful!" he retorted, trying to regain his old amused chuckle. "I'm the soul of honesty."

Raven's eyes hooded themselves. "Why does the soul of honesty wear a mask?"

Now he looked upset. "...Raven?..."

Shrugging out of his grasp, she returned to her tea, feeling calmer already as the steam rose from the cup. She cupped her hands around its warmth and lifted it to her lips, but then turned her head to see Robin still staring at her, looking hurt.

What was he so upset about? He wanted the truth, didn't he?

* * *

Morning at Titans' Tower. The sun created dancing sparkles on the bay, but none of the Titans were currently in a position to notice.

Robin used Cyborg as a boost, leapfrogging over the metal man and delivering a vicious roundhouse kick to a green gorilla that presumably contained Beast Boy. Meanwhile, Starfire and Raven were above the boys' heads, engaged in a game of chicken that involved breakneck-speed air travel towards one another. Extending one arm, Raven managed to clothesline the Tamaranean as she passed, knocking her out of the air. Star hit the ground hard, a stray star bolt zinging from her hand a minute too late. Raven easily dodged the belated counterattack, leaving nothing between it and Cyborg, who had tried to snatch her out of the air. Cyborg threw an arm up to block, but the bolt threw him to the dirt, disorienting him.

Raven's cloak swirled around her as she turned her back on Robin and smiled down at Cyborg, ready to deliver the knockout punch. She extended her arms gracefully.

"Azarath, metrion, _zinth—_"

Raven didn't get to finish her chant. Behind her, Robin extended his arm, his quarterstaff spinning hypnotically in one hand, He almost nonchalantly swung the staff at Raven's ankles, sweeping her feet out from under her. The dark bird flipped a complete 360 in the air before landing in her own surprise.

"Ouch," Raven said, throwing back her hood and turning a questioning face up to the Boy Wonder. "What did you do that for?"

Robin glared through his mask as the others made sounds of surprise.

"Chill out, dude," Beast Boy said, shifting back into human form. "You didn't have to hit her from behind. We're only practicing."

"Robin," Starfire said wonderingly, "that was not..._nice!_"

Raven stood up and brushed herself off. "Yeah, way to be a jerk," she added, levitating upwards to perch across from him on a small rock.

"Well, to be _honest_, Raven," Robin said, stressing the word _honest _as he thrust his face close to hers, "_you_ turned _your _back on me. That was sloppy!"

Staring calmly into his flushed, warring face, she said slowly, "I take this to mean you're still upset about the other night?"

Without answering, Robin kicked Raven's rock out from under her. For the second time in as many minutes, she was on her ass on the floor. More exasperated than surprised this time, she sighed. "You _are_ still mad."

"Rob!" Cyborg said in disbelief.

Robin ignored everyone except Raven, who he pointed an accusing finger at. "You see! Sloppy!"

Raven growled. "You are asking for it, Bird Boy."

"You bet I am!" He stood cockily on his platform, crossing his arms. "You aren't even defending yourself! You're fighting like a halfwit with a hangover."

Raven felt her vision blur with anger and her fists curled, dark energy sizzling and popping throughout her being. "That does it."

As soon as she leapt to her feet, a hand grabbed her arm, not to hurt, not to hold helpless, but to persuade.

"Friend Raven!"

She shot a slant-eyed glare towards the Tamaranean, looking pointedly at the offending hand on her arm. "You're touching me."

Starfire was not deterred. In fact, she gave Raven's arm a squeeze. "No more mean talking!"

Likewise, Cyborg was holding Robin off his feet. The Boy Wonder's steel-toe caps were waving as he struggled for purchase in midair. "Put me down, you overgrown tin can!" he snarled. To Raven he spat, "This isn't over by a long shot. Do you hear me?"

Raven's teeth grit, but Starfire gave her a shake. "Raven, perhaps we should adjourn inside? I feel that I am not centering as well in my meditations. Perhaps you could teach me?"

Beast Boy fielded Star's fly. "Come on inside, Rae. I'll brew you some herbal tea."

"This session's over," Cyborg agreed calmly, as if he weren't holding a still-struggling Robin helpless. "Let's head in."

Raven and Robin glared at each other for a minute longer, and then Raven allowed Starfire and Beast Boy to lead her inside.

* * *

Dinner had never been such a silent affair. Cyborg was shoveling food into his mouth at only about halfspeed. Beast Boy kept shooting wary glances at Robin, who was sitting next to him and glaring at Raven, who was sitting next to Star. Likewise, Star was trying to ignore the way the demon girl's barely leashed emotions were making the soda bubble.

"So what'd everybody do today?" Beast Boy asked, trying for normalcy.

Raven and Robin were still busy glaring at each other over the table. Luckily Starfire jumped right in and began telling a complicated story about her day that involved butterflies and a tree and a near-fatal fall. Beast Boy heaved a sigh of relief. Everything was fine.

Until Raven asked, "Is there any more pizza?"

Robin calmly reached over the table, took the last slice from the greasy box and bit into it. "No," he said nonchalantly, spearing Raven with his masked eyes.

Raven slammed a fist down on the table, and Star's soda boiled over, spilling onto the table and the Tamaranean's hand.

Cyborg had had it and slammed a fist of his own down, making the cups dance. "Will you two give it a rest? You're acting like three-year-olds. What's your problem?"

Raven mumbled something.

"What?" Beast Boy asked.

"I said, no problem," Raven repeated, a little louder, giving Robin a look.

Everyone waited.

Robin sighed to let everyone know it was an effort. "...No problem," he agreed finally, after a long pause. "Is there any more soda?"

Raven quickly took the bottle of Pepsi and poured the last of it into her cup. She didn't even look at Robin as she answered, "No."

Everyone gave up and ate their pizza, leaving the two birds to their glaring contest.

* * *

It was getting hard to tell the difference between the backs of her eyelids and the ceiling.

Raven didn't get it. She had only seen Robin angry, _really_ angry, over one thing—Slade. While the other Titans worried over Robin's obsession with their nemesis, Raven had secretly admired the passion of his anger, the single-minded focus of his rage. She was intrigued by how deep his feelings could run, she for whom feelings so deep were fatal.

Feelings so deep...

But she had never thought he would turn that anger on _her_.

She and Robin had never been the closest of friends, but she hadn't thought he could get so annoyed at her. What had she done that had offended him so? She knew it hadn't really been because of the training exercise. She hadn't really been fighting at her best, but it had just been an _exercise_. He was angry about what had happened in the kitchen—because she had accused him of being a liar.

"He _doesn't_ tell the truth," she growled, clenching her fists and repeating it over and over. "He doesn't...he doesn't...he doesn't."

Restless, she threw the covers off and stalked out into the hallway, blending with the darkness of the midnight corridor. If she couldn't hit Robin in the face, she'd hit the next best thing—the sandbags he loved to pit his strength against.

* * *

Robin had never had trouble sleeping. He had always figured it had to do with his lifestyle—when you spend most of your time running for your life or pounding the hell out of bad guys, you don't find it hard to be exhausted.

But tonight was different.

Tonight he squirmed and squinted. Tonight sleep would not come.

He gritted his teeth. _It's all _**her** _fault._

There was no questioning who the _her_ was. He could still see Raven's eyes smoulder as the words dripped from her lips like poison—how he hid behind his mask, how he never told the truth. She was basically saying that his whole life was a lie—was that it?

And why did she care?

He couldn't understand that look in her eyes. She'd made it sound as though she _cared_ about the mask, about the truth, she who hid behind her cloak and wouldn't show her smile to the world. She who loved the dark so much.

He rolled himself in the sheets, wrapping himself in them. What was her problem?!

He couldn't sleep and it was her fault. He needed to tire himself out, stop his brain from whirring. He slid out of bed, one hand patting across his nighttable for his mask. Once he found it, he fixed it over his face and felt safe enough to pad down the hall barefoot, knowing a workout would calm him down.

* * *

Raven slammed a fist against one of the sandbags, imagining that it was Robin's smirking face. "Take _that_," she hissed. "And that! And this! You smug, arrogant—"

"What are _you_ doing in here?!" someone growled.

Caught off-guard, Raven lost her balance in the middle of her roundhouse kick and stumbled, hanging onto the sandbag for support. The chain jingled as she regained her feet and saw the intruder.

Standing there before her, livid with rage, masked face twisted into a snarl, was the Boy Wonder himself. All he was wearing were a pair of baggy black shorts. His feet were bare and his hair was tousled, as if he'd had a restless night before he'd come down here. His arms were crossed over his bare chest, the tension in his muscles betraying how much he wanted to forcibly remove her from the room.

They were nice arms, Raven couldn't help but notice.

Crossed over an equally if not nicer chest.

Shaking her head as if that would physically shake the thoughts from her head, she reminded herself that it was just once more facet of his arrogance. The boy was so in love with himself that he probably thought everyone wanted to stare at his half-naked body.

Admittedly gorgeous half-na—

_Stop this!_

"Robin," she said flatly, hooding her eyes.

"What," he repeated, "are you doing in here?"

"I'm guessing the same thing as you," she sighed, letting go of the sandbag. "I felt like working out."

"Well, your session just ended," Robin spat. "Time to let the big kids play, okay?"

Raven's eyes widened. "_What?_" she said. "I am just as much of a Titan as you are, and I have _just_ as much right to be in here as you do!"

"This is my place!" Robin argued. "You don't see me hanging out in your creepy magic mirror!"

"Those are fighting words," Raven hissed, her dark eyes narrowing to slits. She curled her hands into fists, ready to take him on.

"No, _these_ are fighting words," Robin chuckled nastily. "Get out of my training room, or I'll tell everyone you sing while the kettle's boiling. Hey, Raven, do you take requests?"

"How about _Bye, Bye, Birdie_?" Raven felt her lips twist into a sneer. "That almost sounds like blackmail."

He matched her sneer with one of his own. "I'd say it isn't what it sounds like, but it is."

"You don't scare me," she answered recklessly. "Go ahead. Tell them. I'll sing them the entire new Taking Back Sunday album if it makes you happy."

His sneer relaxed the tiniest bit, lessened almost imperceptibly. "I didn't know you liked Taking Back Sunday."

"You know _nothing_ about me." She dropped her fists, her voice flat with disgust. And that was the bottom line, really.

It seemed to anger him, just as her remark in the kitchen had angered him. He clenched his fists, nearly shaking with rage. "Get _out_ of here!"

"_Make_ me," Raven challenged, enraged herself.

Robin dropped his fists, his body relaxing into the cross stance, one leg behind the other. Raven didn't know a whole hell of a lot about kung fu, but she knew enough to know that such a stance was perfect for instant lateral movement, and even had enough time to realize that she'd gotten in over her head.

Robin's voice was barely above a whisper as he said, "You asked for it."

And then he was coming at her.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

This is my first Teen Titans fic, so I'd love reviews. You know, how's my driving and all that. So if you have any heart in you at all, please click that little button and make my day. I only have one rule, the same as it's always been—please be constructive, okay? Fair deal?

Some things:

**Truth or Dare:** I know it's a worn plot piece, but I have a soft spot in my heart for the game of Truth or Dare. And that is a much funnier story that you will not get to hear.

**_Slaughterhouse Five_: **I decided to lay off poor Edgar Allen Poe and give Raven something else to read. _Slaughterhouse Five_ is an awesome book, and I think everyone should read it. The idea of memory functioning like that makes me smile on bad days and sigh in relief on good ones.

**_"Deliver a favor to my love"_: **In the kitchen, Raven is singing **"Cuts Marked In The March of Men"** by one of my favorite bands in the entire world, **Coheed and Cambria**. That song can be found on the album **_In Keeping Secrets of the Silent Earth:3_. **

**Taking Back Sunday:** Raven strikes me as an emo kid. Robin strikes me as a closet emo kid. I'm thinking of giving one of them a hoodie in a later chapter because it would amuse me.

**Oreo cookies:** I have no idea why I picked Oreo cookies. I think I just wanted to pick something absurd that Robin could say right away, making it obvious that he wasn't telling the truth. I don't know, my friend Rai laughed. I couldn't think of anything!

Hey, did you press that button yet?

**Next chapter:** Robin vs. Raven in a two-thirty AM training room. Something's probably going to get knocked over.


	2. We Beat Each Other Up Just Like We Alway...

**Author's Introduction:**

When last we left our heroes (I _love_ saying that!) Raven and Robin were about to beat the stuffing out of each other in the training room in the middle of the night. With friends like these, who needs enemies?

* * *

**_To Take A Dare_**

* * *

**Chapter Two: We Beat Each Other Up Just Like We Always Do**

_Last night I fell asleep next to a liar_

_And I woke up with a shiner_

_And that's all I remember from a night spent lying on my back_

_With a view of a stone white ceiling and the back of your head_

_This dark and quiet bed felt like the middle of nowhere._

_We beat each other up just like we always do_

_When talking to myself I'd always rather be talking to you._

(Brand New)

(Sudden Death In Carolina)

* * *

Raven was in Robin's arms... 

...and he was about to tackle her to the floor.

She was kicking herself for her mistake. Somehow, she hadn't thought he'd really hurt her, hadn't thought he'd really make good on his threat. Luckily, while one foot kicked herself, the other jammed itself against Robin's rock-hard stomach as her back hit the floor. Using his own momentum, she threw him over her head. He'd set himself up for a perfect back sacrifice throw.

To Raven's credit, Robin's masked eyes widened as he sailed over her head, but he wasn't about to be taken out that easily. He simply twisted his body in midair, planted both bare feet on the wall, and sprang back at her, one leg extended from his body in an achingly gorgeous jump kick that connected solidly with Raven's cheek.

"Oof!" Raven ended on the floor. The right side of her face was liquid fire. It would be a thousand terrible colors tomorrow, but maybe the pain would fade into a dull ache by then. At any rate, he'd hit her hard. He wasn't holding anything back.

_Good_, she thought, and dropped to a crouch, trying to sweep his feet out from under him. He leapt easily over her extended leg, throwing his arms up in an _x_ to block the punch she followed it with as soon as she got to her feet.

_But don't worry about my hands_, she thought with a small mental smile. _That's just to distract you while I do THIS..._

And she had angled a kick to his kneecap, knowing full well that if she hit it right she could dislocate it. Her slippered foot connected with his knee but not hard enough to do anything but knock him off balance. She charged him, hoping to press the advantage, and then they were fighting.

_Really_ fighting, grappling, wrestling each other down to the floor. She wasn't Raven any more, nor was he Robin. His movements were just as acrobatic, hers were just as graceful, but they weren't the same Raven and Robin who had stared each other down during the morning's training session. They fought hard, dirty, with elbows and teeth and feet and fists. Never once did Raven's lips move to say a magic word, and Robin's utility belt was forgotten in his room. There were no super powers, no tricks, just two warriors facing off for dominance.

They were _equals_, finally.

Finally there was a point where Raven seemed to have the upper hand. Robin was lying on his back on the floor and Raven was straddling him, her hands locked around his throat. Both were damp with perspiration and breathing hard from the exertion of their roughhousing. Raven's chest was heaving beneath her black leotard, which was all she had worn to sleep, and she could feel his ribs moving against her bare thighs as he struggled for air.

"Give," Raven panted.

His teeth grit. "No."

"Robin, _give!_" She tightened her grip on his throat. "There's no way you can win."

Suddenly, he grinned up at her. "No way, eh?"

She tensed, waiting for him to try to scratch his hands from her throat or throw her off him. Instead, his hands found her ribs and tickled, his touch feather-light on her sensitive sides.

Raven screamed in surprise, loosening her grip on his throat and squirming. Robin threw her backwards, and she didn't even try to land properly, body bouncing on the floor. She was unable to control her laughter, clutching at her stomach, her face twisted into a cross between a giggle and a scowl.

Robin rolled to his knees, laughing proudly at his own cleverness. "Gotcha!"

As soon as Raven recovered and regained her feet, she snarled and threw a careless fist in his direction. "_Bastard!_"

Robin easily blocked the wild punch, but it didn't stop her from throwing another one, and another. She swung once more and he caught her fist in one hand, holding it away from his face.

"You're _doing_ it again," he growled in frustration suddenly, hand locked over hers. "You can hit harder than that, goddamnit!"

Raven's free fist connected solidly with his upper arm. Robin frowned, seemingly unimpressed. "Harder! You can hit harder than that, give me a _hit_."

Wild-eyed, Raven obeyed with a fist aimed at his face. Robin blocked it with one arm, the impact sending a tremor up to his shoulder.

"Harder," he challenged. "_Harder!_"

Raven had no idea what he was driving at, but when he growled _harder_, she obeyed, putting all her weight behind her strikes, her anger bleeding into the blows. Still he remained unimpressed.

"You can hit me harder, Raven—you want to hit me harder! You hate me!" he burst out, crossing his arms once more over his chest to block.

Without warning, it was as if she were looking at them both from above, from outside. Robin looked suddenly small, suddenly uncertain, his arms an _x _in front of him to protect him from her. She saw him somehow as he saw himself—her friend, a _good_ friend to a girl who for some unknown reason was attacking him. She was so unnerved by the look that her punch went wide, and Robin caught her fist in his hand once again, his face once again wearing that upset, confused look it had worn in the kitchen.

"What?" Raven whispered, her fist still trembling as it tried to get past his strong hand. "What...did you say?"

"You hate me," he repeated, but softer, more unsure. She could see the insecurity in his face for the first time, the way his mouth tucked in at the corners to pout, the way his brow furrowed when something made him unhappy.

Unhappy...

"No," she said, puzzled, guilty. "Robin...that's not true..."

They remained locked like that for a minute, her fist trapped in his hand, neither gaining or losing an inch. Just like that, they were Robin and Raven again, shuddering, exhausted. He tilted his head to gaze at her, as if he'd never seen her before and was trying to understand her fully in one look.

"It's not true," she insisted, more forcefully, almost desperately. She didn't know why she was so intent on him believing that she did not hate him, when just seconds ago she would have loved nothing better than to smash his head into the floor, but the impulse was there, and for once, she didn't repress the feeling—she rode it. Anything to get that hurt expression off his face.

She played a last desperate card.

"Robin—I said Truth—I meant it. I _do_ sing in the kitchen! I wouldn't lie to you."

There was a moment of stillness between them. He still held her hand in his grip, but not that hard. She could have pulled away any time she'd wanted, but something kept her there.

"One?" Robin asked after a small eternity.

Raven nodded. "Two."

"Three," they said together, and then they released each other, wheezing. Robin staggered over to the wall to lean against it as though he were too physically exhausted to stand up on his own. Likewise, Raven dropped to her knees, hands splayed on the floor to hold herself up. For a minute she bowed her head to the padded floor, breathing in the smell of vinyl and hiding behind her short dark hair. Nothing, nothing had ever made her as tired as this...

A hand found its way into her field of vision. It seemed so long since she had seen an open hand, a hand that wasn't curled into a fist...

Slowly, tentatively, she put her own hand inside it.

Robin pulled her to her feet carefully. "Thanks," she said softly.

"Thank _you_, Raven," he said, shaking his head.

Her violet eyes widened in surprise. "For...what?" she asked, brows crinkled over her eyes.

He bowed his head in a small, respectful nod at her. "For such a good fight. You are a worthy opponent."

She knew what a compliment that was coming from him. She wasn't sure how to respond to him. "I thank you," she finally said lamely.

He nodded, and she turned around to leave the room, unsure of what else to do. Her slippered feet were silent on the padded floor. The sliding door whirred, allowing both darkness from the hallway into the room and Raven out of it. She stood in the entryway for a second, a shadow on the dark of the corridor so that Robin had trouble sorting out the contrast of black on black. She might have been just that, a shadow, if she hadn't spoken.

"Good night, Robin."

He turned that puzzled look on her again, as if her speaking had interrupted him trying to figure her out.

"...Good night, Raven."

* * *

Robin was exhausted, and he had had quite a workout. 

So why the fuck couldn't he sleep?!

Memories flickered behind his closed eyes. Raven leaving the room after the game of Truth or Dare, never looking back. Raven leaving the room after movies, cloak sweeping behind her. Raven walking out of a dozen rooms, a thousand times, never looking back at them, never saying a word in farewell.

Had Raven ever said good night to him before?

How well she had fought! The evidence of it was tattooed onto his body in bruises that would stain his skin tomorrow. He had never realized Raven's cloak had hidden such a strong, supple body. He had felt how strong her hands were as they had wrapped around his throat; he had felt her solidity, her immobility as she had held him down to the floor, his body trapped between her thighs. He'd never known she was so strong...

Her voice echoed suddenly in his head. _You know **nothing** about me._

She was right.

His lids blinked suddenly, slid down to cover his unmasked eyes. "Good night, Raven..." he murmured.

* * *

Meals around Titans' Tower were getting weirder every day, in Cyborg's opinion. 

He had just been thankful that dinner hadn't turned into a bloodbath the night before—he was surprised but relieved that Robin and Raven hadn't come to blows over the pizza. For a while it looked as though they were getting there.

But the dark bird wasn't even at the table this morning. Robin was only sort of at the table—Starfire and Beast Boy were staring at the Boy Wonder, whose head was buried in his arms. He was snoring.

"Rob?" Cyborg asked, knocking gently on Robin's brow with metal knuckles. Robin lifted his head from the table. The shadows under his eyes were so dark he looked like a linebacker, and deep enough that the mask couldn't hide them. His hair was tousled, his face pale save for a red crease on his cheek, folded into his skin from sleeping on his arm. He looked as though he'd been in the spin cycle.

"Wakey wakey," Cyborg chuckled. "Eggs and bakey."

"Man, Robin, didn't you get any sleep at _all_ last night?" Beast Boy asked.

Robin frowned. "I think it's obvious that I _didn't_?"

Starfire frowned as well, her springtime eyes filling with concern for her friend. "Robin, was your sleep troubled? Did you have a bad dream?"

Robin buried his head in his arms again. His voice was muffled as he said, "It wasn't a bad dream, Star."

Starfire placed a gentle hand on the back of Robin's neck, and the Boy Wonder cringed, wincing as though it pained him to be touched. Beast Boy saw it and frowned, but Cyborg's voice interrupted whatever he was about to say.

"Mornin', Rave Master," he called towards the door. "How about some bacon?"

Raven appeared in the doorway, her cloak covering her from throat to ankle, her hood drawn over her head so that only sleepy violet eyes burned from its dark. "Mmm."

"Good morning, Raven!" Starfire chirped.

The dark bird waved a hand weakly and levitated towards her chair, using her powers to steal a piece of toast off Beast Boy's plate. "Oh yeah? What's so Raven about it?"

Beast Boy laughed at Raven's quip, not realizing that a piece of his toast had turned black with dark energy and floated across the table.

"Did you have a restless night, too, Raven?" Starfire inquired politely. "Was your mind troubled?"

"My mind is never troubled," Raven answered, but groggily.

Cyborg laughed and slid a plate to Raven. She nodded at him. "Thank you, Cyborg."

Beast Boy blinked down at his plate, wondering where his remaining piece of toast had gone. "You're rather cheerful this morning, Raven. Should we be worried things are going to blow up?" He chuckled at his own joke, immediately adding a disclaimer so as not to ruffle the dark bird's feathers. "I'm kidding, Rave. You want more toast?"

Robin had turned his head, resting his cheek on his arm so that he could see everyone at the table. He had been staring at a piece of bacon as if he were wondering why it wasn't making its way into his mouth on its own, but right now he gazed at Raven sleepily, a question in his face. However, Beast Boy, oblivious to most things beyond his plate, interrupted before it could be asked.

"Didn't I have three pieces of toast?" he wondered aloud, glancing around the table, his eyes finally coming to rest on Raven, whose immediate attention was commanded by her own dish. "You know, Raven, it's pretty rude of you to wear that hood at the table!"

Raven looked up from her plate of bacon and eggs, an alarm ringing in her eyes. "Um..."

"Yes, Raven, why do you wear your hood at the table?" Starfire wondered aloud. "Will you not show your face to us this morning?"

"Mind your own—" Raven began, but Beast Boy grinned slyly. Transforming into a squid, he reached stealthily behind her with a tentacle and yanked the hood down off her head.

Starfire gasped; Cyborg dropped the plate of eggs to the table with a clatter. Even Beast Boy was shocked back into human form. Robin's head jerked up from his arm, the eyes behind the mask gone wide with shock.

"What?" Raven asked crossly, glaring at Beast Boy.

It was Cyborg who answered. "...It's your face, Rae. Who did that to your face?"

Robin was still staring at Raven in disbelief. The right side of her face was ghastly, decorated in shades of black and purple. He remembered being thrown to the wall, springing back, a spin kick—

_Oh, Raven—I'm sorry—_

Raven drew her hood back over her head. "May I have some more bacon?" she asked, indicating that the discussion was closed.

"But Raven," Starfire asked. "How did you—"

"It's _fine_," Raven pressed. "Cyborg? Bacon?"

"Raven—" Starfire continued.

"Leave her alone, Star," Robin snapped suddenly, and the Tamaranean looked hurt.

Cyborg slid Raven more bacon.

* * *

"Who's on dish duty?" Beast Boy asked when breakfast had been more or less decimated. A look of sadness weighed his face down. "_Please_ say it isn't me." 

Cyborg looked at a list posted near on the refrigerator. "Rave's doing dishes this week."

"Joy," Raven muttered. But she got up and began to clear the table.

"Why don't you just say a few magic words and float 'em towards the sink?" Beast Boy asked, waving his arms dramatically. "You know, azalea metrosexual zebra."

Raven didn't laugh, but a ghost of a smile did play around her lips. "Sometimes I just like to touch things. To...feel them."

"_Who's_ a metrosexual zebra?" Cyborg asked, turning from the fridge. "Rob, you up for some _Streets of Rage_? I'll let you be Axl."

"No, I—I want to help Raven with the dishes," Robin said, pushing his chair back from the table.

"But you don't have dish duty till two weeks from now," Beast Boy said, glancing at the list.

"I don't need any help," said Raven, walking towards the sink. "Go play your game."

"No. I want to help," he insisted, giving Raven a we-need-to-talk look.

Raven frowned, giving him an I-was-hoping-to-avoid-that-exact-scenario look. "Do what you will." She turned her back on the room, muttering something about "stubborn mules".

"I'll play with you, Cyborg," Beast Boy offered. "We'll lay the smackdown on those digital punks!"

"You know it, BB," Cyborg laughed, turning to the Tamaranean. "Hey Star, wanna play? We'll hook up the three-way."

"I always wanted to hook up in a three-way with you, Star," Beast Boy teased cheekily, and Cyborg elbowed him but grinned.

Starfire looked briefly troubled, but she nodded. "Yes, I shall join in the three-way smacking-down with you...unless Robin and Raven need some help?"

Raven frowned. "I think I've got more help than I know what to do with."

"I never saw so many people want to do dishes!" Beast Boy said. "You guys don't know the meaning of fun. Let's get out of here and play video games before _I_ start wanting to do dishes."

"Last one there's a metrosexual zebra!" Cyborg jogged out of the room.

Star looked confused, but followed quickly, saying, "And this is a bad thing?"

Just like that, Robin and Raven were once again alone. Robin still wasn't sure why he was nervous about it, but one look at her replaced the anxiety with guilt. She was at the sink, stacking dishes slowly as if she were tired. He had a perfect view of her profile, of a sweet rounded jaw that would never betray how stubborn she could be, of the spill of her hair around the curve of cheek and chin, of the bruise that scarred the quiet beauty of that face. _How could you?_ It seemed to ask. _How could you?_

"I'll wash, you dry?" Raven asked, turning towards Robin with a white dishcloth in her hand.

Robin stared at the dishcloth as though it were alive. "Huh...?"

Raven shook the cloth for emphasis, waving it at him like a flag of surrender. "To dry the dishes. Or weren't you serious about helping me?"

Robin reached out, but instead of taking the dish towel from her, he slid the hood off her head, like a groom lifting the veil from his bride. "I'm...I'm sorry, Raven, I'm so—"

He had one hand cupped around her shoulder, but she turned from him, twisting the tap and tossing the dish towel on the sideboard. "Just forget it, okay? It doesn't even hurt."

"_No_," he growled, his voice rough without his consent. "I mean..." He tried to soften his voice. "I...look, when we were in the training room last night, I didn't have any idea I'd hit you that hard."

Oddly enough, Raven looked a little pleased. "I'd have been mad if you hadn't given the fight your all." She reached out to him and pressed down hard on his neck with both hands.

"_Ah_," Robin growled, the pain of his bruises throbbing.

"After all," Raven continued calmly, releasing him. "I did."

Robin sighed, rubbing his bruises with one hand. "You fought well. I told you that."

Raven nodded. "I remember." She reached out for him and he flinched back in anticipation of more pain. She frowned, her mouth tucking at the corners, and reached again. "Come here. I won't hurt you."

Robin willed himself to be still as she touched him again, her hands sliding around his neck as they had the night before, but gently this time, not to hurt him.

There was a strange light in her eyes as her hands stroked just over his damaged skin. She looked as though she were _listening _for something, as her eyes looked on unseeing.

Her hands were blessedly cool. He'd always imagined everything about Raven to be cold, but it wasn't uncomfortable to be touched by her. He wished he hadn't hit her so hard...all he had wanted was for her to rise to his challenge, because he had known she could. And she had...

Her eyes slid closed, as if she'd found what she was looking for, and suddenly the pain flared brighter for a second before dulling and disappearing completely.

"There." She lifted her hands from his neck. "Better?"

"...Yes." He stretched his neck, listening to the bones pop. "Much better. Thanks, Raven." His face darkened suddenly. "What about you?"

"What about me?" she asked.

"I mean _this—_" He reached out to cup her bruised cheek in his hand. "This _bruise—_"

"What bruise?" she asked, shrugging out of his grip to reveal a pale, perfect face.

Robin was almost annoyed. She'd managed to surprise him once again. "How did you—?"

"_Dry_." She shoved the dishcloth into his chest.

Pouting, Robin began to dry the dishes she handed him. "I'll dry if you tell me how you did that."

"Did what?" she asked, soaping a glass.

"Healed your bruises."

"Why don't you ask me how I healed yours?" she asked.

"Because I already _know_ how you healed mine," he said. "You've done it before. But I've never seen you do it for yourself. Why didn't you do it last night?"

"I couldn't do it last night," she said, swiping a sponge over a plate. "It doesn't work that way."

"How does it work?" Robin asked.

She arched a brow at him, pausing momentarily in her efforts. "It's a gift, Robin," she said simply. "It's meant to be given away."

His face softened, his hand rising to his neck once more. "But you healed yours, too."

She smiled, suddenly, a rare occurrence. It changed her already arresting face wonderfully for the better, he thought. The angles in her face softened, a little light shimmered through her dark eyes, and she became a girl instead of a riddle. "That was _your_ gift."

"I don't get it," he said helplessly.

She turned back to the dishes, handing him another glass to dry. "Maybe someday you will get it," was all she said. "Until then, you won't."

He watched her for a second, watched the curve of her cheek shining like pearl in the morning light from the window.

"What?" he asked finally, to lighten the mood. "No singing?"

Without warning, the water in the sink sizzled with dark energy and splashed him. He chuckled, wiping his eyes to see Raven's perfect frown once again secure on her face. Seeing her powers act up and her familiar expression return reminded him of the question he had wanted to ask her at the breakfast table before Beast Boy had started cracking jokes.

"Everyone knows how your powers act up when you're angry, Raven," he mused, folding the damp dishcloth and hanging it on its rack beside the sink. "How do they react when you're happy?"

Raven tilted her head to one side, her twilight eyes darkening with some emotion he couldn't place. Her voice was completely flat as she said. "Make me happy sometime, and maybe you'll find out."

With that, she turned in a graceful swirl of cloak and left the room without a backwards glance, as was her custom. Robin was left alone at the sink, unable to stop a smile from creeping slowly up his face, starting at his lips and continuing behind his masked eyes.

Was that a _challenge_ he'd just heard?

"You're on, Raven," he murmured.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Woo hoo! I wrote another chapter. (starts to dance a little.) It's a little bit harder to update lately since my computer blew up. I'm coming at you live from my laptop right now.

Reviews would make me smile! They would also help me finish writing this story. Anybody got anything they want to see more of? Less of? Suggestions? Comments? Questions? I'll take anything. (smiles encouragingly.) I also wanted to thank everyone for reading the first chapter—I was so pleased to see so many positive comments!

As always, **Cloudwalker** is the best human ever for reading everything I send her, which includes story bits and long emails talking about stupid people/my job/stupid people/men and how they drive me crazy/comics/cartoons (smile)

Plus, to **Writer's Slush:** Good call! You are absolutely right. I meant to say that Raven had touched down and was standing on the ground when Robin swept her feet out from under her. I hope it wasn't _too_ confusing! My bad.

**On "Streets of Rage": **I _loved_ to play "Streets of Rage" with my sister (who reminds me of Blackfire in some odd way) when we were kids. Our favoritewas "Streets of Rage 2". I was always Blaze. She was Skate. We rocked at it. My Sega broke so we can't play anymore (sad face) I'm thinking of buying a new one just so we can play again.

**Next chapter:** Robin racks his brain trying to think of a way to meet Raven's "challenge"—a challenge that she doesn't even realize she's given him!


	3. Whatever Makes You Happy

**Author's Introduction:**

Again, I was thrilled to see so much positive feedback! I'm very glad everyone's enjoying my story. I'm enjoying writing it!

As for update time (shrugs and sighs) I wish I could promise to update on a regular basis, believe me. Creativity is capricious, however—you can't just turn it on and off like a faucet. It comes and it goes—and sometimes it comes in the office, or in class, or when I'm sleeping on the floor of a friend's room.

Luckily for updates and creativity, tonight I've been blown out by my friends so I curled up on the couch with some episodes of the old _Batman _tv series, starring Adam West and costarring Burt Ward, who I will admit I had a _huge_ crush on (!) and I found inspiration in the corner of my mind, locked in a small jeweled box...

* * *

**_To Take A Dare_**

* * *

**Chapter Three: Whatever Makes You Happy**

_You must be aware what you're doing to me_

_We sunk like a stone on a rock in the sea_

_We don't have to stay friends, let's pretend to be enemies_

_Yeah, whatever makes you happy_

(Splender)

(Yeah, Whatever)

* * *

Starfire's face was twisted into an uncharacteristic pout. She dug her hands into the soft dirt at the base of the Titans' Tower in frustration, on her hands and knees on the ground. "I do not understand," she cried. "I placed these seeds in this dirt over _three_ Earth days ago! Why do they not grow?"

The Tamaranean had taken a trip to the city the previous week, returning home in a buoyant mood with a bag full of seed packets. The rest of the Titans had amusedly sectioned off a bit of land at the base of the tower for her "garden", and Star had gleefully thrown the seeds haphazardly into the ground and watched the soil for three days like an anxious mother. Now she had grown tired of waiting and was wondering why she didn't have any flowers to cheer her up.

Robin chuckled, kneeling beside Starfire and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "These things take time, Star. If you're patient and wait, you'll have a beautiful garden in no time."

Starfire sighed, looking unconvinced. She could hardly be blamed for it, either—it was quite ironic for Robin to be talking about patience. In truth, the Boy Wonder was normally one of the most impatient people on the face of the planet.

Normally.

But lately, Robin had been patient. Indeed, he had bided his time, had stalked his prey with extensive care. He was only waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

It had been two weeks since he had come upon Raven in the training room, two weeks since she had healed his bruises at the kitchen sink—two weeks since she had challenged him to "make her happy". Never one to shy away from a challenge, Robin had retired to his room—his own personal Batcave—to puzzle it out every day afterward. This morning was no different—after he had taken his leave of Starfire, he found himself in there once again.

Robin had boundless faith in his own detective skills. After all, he had learned from the best. He had always enjoyed the thrill of the chase, the idea that he could prove himself smarter than the criminals he pursued. And he and Batman _had_ been smarter. They had untangled even the trickiest problems...

Robin had to smile as he leaned back in his chair and reached for a framed picture of the Titans together that held pride of place on his desk, his eyes falling on the dark bird in the corner of it. _I bet Batman never had a riddle quite like Raven, though!_

He had to admit he was intrigued by her. Anyone with even the slightest curiosity would be, and Robin was a very curious bird. For someone with no secret identity, Raven had being mysterious down to an art form. She spent even more time locked away than he did—a feat if there ever was one. He would have said that he and Raven were a lot alike—but he didn't know that for sure.

Which led back to her original accusation—that he knew nothing about her. How would he remedy that?

_"Make me happy someday, and maybe you'll find out."_

It was a fascinating puzzle, and one worthy of him, Robin decided.

So he had set out to learn about Raven. He had become a faithful student of her routines, watching her as often as he could without looking suspicious. He wasn't sure if Raven just hadn't noticed him, or hadn't cared. Most likely the latter.

She liked to face the north light when she meditated, even though her eyes were closed. And she always kept them closed—it was like the rest of the world melted away when she began her chant. She could remain still for hours, watching whatever flickered on the backs of her eyelids.

Chamomile tea was her favorite, if the kitchen cabinets told the truth. She never even looked around the room for the boxes that held the small packets anymore—she knew so well where she hid her stash. She could do almost anything else while brewing a cup of tea, as if it were just below breathing for involuntary activities.

Tea wasn't the only thing she stashed around the tower—one could reach under any cushion or on top of any shelving unit and find one of Raven's books. She read anything she could get her hands on, even some things that apparently she was ashamed of—Robin had found a romance novel hidden in the magazine rack, in a copy of _Home and Garden_ that Starfire had bought along with her seed packets and then forgotten about. She had a soft spot for comic books as well, which Robin got a kick out of—a superhero reading comic books.

Raven liked snack cakes, especially the kind with vanilla frosting—those always seemed to disappear from the kitchen when she was around.

She was ticklish—he had to smile remembering that, her startled face when he had feathered his fingers over her ribs. The smile faded without his conscious control when he remembered further, the way she had squirmed, body twisting atop him, her soft cry of surprise—

He shook his head to banish these thoughts, frowning. It didn't matter...

In short, all he had learned was that herbal tea and meditation didn't tell him anything about the girl inside the cloak.

_"Make me happy someday, and maybe you'll find out."_

Momentarily frustrated but not defeated, the Boy Wonder steepled his fingers and sighed.

_**What would make you happy, Raven?**_

* * *

Raven kept dreaming of the training room. It was troubling her sleep; once she had even woken up and slammed a fist into her headboard, an unconscious reaction that had left her with bloody knuckles at breakfast the next morning. It still sort of hurt when she curled her hand around a glass of orange juice.

Why couldn't she get it out of her mind?

And it didn't help that she could feel Robin's eyes on her every time she moved. Sometimes she would look up from whatever book she was reading and find him staring over his newspaper at her; walk out of a room and know he was watching her. He never looked at her the same way twice—one minute his masked eyes would search her deeply, as if he were looking for something buried in her secret put-away heart; the next minute he would seem as if he were trying to memorize her.

But whatever he was looking for, he hadn't found it yet, because he kept staring.

On top of that, Robin wasn't the only one who was watching her—several times she would catch Cyborg with a funny look on his face. He knew something was up between the two birds—he just didn't know what.

That was okay. Raven didn't know what was up, either.

In fact, the metal man was eyeing her calmly now over a copy of _Car and Driver_. She sipped her juice, waiting for the inevitable questions.

* * *

_Now she's staring at **me**_, Cyborg thought. _What is going on?_

Ever since the day Robin and Raven had been at each other's throats, things hadn't been the same between them. One day they had been ready to kill each other, the next morning both had shown up to breakfast looking like they'd been playing the Raiders and losing, Robin had offered to help Raven with the dishes, and now their gazes dueled over any surface at any time. Something was up.

Robin had always been obsessive by nature. If he was paying such attention to Raven, then she had to have done or said something that had warranted that attention. But above his compulsions, Robin was a fairly easygoing guy, and he loved his friends, would fight to protect them. So if he was on the outs with Raven, why? Something like that could affect the dynamics of the team.

There was another reason for the metal man's concern. Lately, Cyborg had been spending some time with Raven, trying to get to know the girl behind the soft dark cowl. She didn't talk much, but she was a quick study on cars and was good, if quiet, company. He was inclined to feel protective of the little empath, and if something was bothering his friend, he wanted to know about it.

Cyborg smiled at Raven over his glass and put down his magazine. "Hey, Raven. I'm thinking of tuning up the T-Car tomorrow morning. You down? I could use an extra set of hands."

Raven downed her juice and nodded. "Sure thing. How about I meet you in the garage after breakfast?"

Cy smiled, already planning how to ambush her with a few leading questions as to why she and Robin kept grilling each other over bacon and eggs. "It's a date, kiddo."

Raven smiled back at Cyborg—the only person she allowed to call her "kiddo"—as she left the kitchen, as calm as the sea. And like the sea, she rarely gave up her secrets.

* * *

Starfire breathed against the glass, creating a cloud of fog that grew bigger with each exhalation.

"A watched pot never boils, Starfire," Raven intoned sagely over a copy of _Daredevil_, trying not to chuckle at the Tamaranean's obvious impatience.

Starfire had her nose pressed against one of the big bay windows like a puppy in a pet shop, staring down at her still-unborn garden. "Who cares about pots. I want flowers..."

"What kind of flowers are they, Star?" Raven asked, somewhat in the mood for conversation after all the staring that had been going on.

Starfire became animated, turning from the window. "They shall have large teeth and be able to defend themselves against neighborhood cats!" she announced, her green eyes alight with a plant-loving mania that would have given Pamela Eisely a run for her money.

"Starfire, our tower is alone on an island. No cats will get at your flowers, unless Beast Boy gets hungry. And teeth aren't usually a dominant trait in most Earth flora. Did you plant venus flytraps?" Raven's mind was already racing ahead to worst-case scenarios—giant man-eating Tamaranean plants, flower-power plots by Slade to unleash an army of destructive blossoms to kill the Titans in their sleep.

Starfire looked innocently puzzled. She held out a fist and dropped something into Raven's hand—one of the seed packets. Raven unfolded the crumpled paper sleeve and read. "Snapdragons?"

"Have I misunderstood?" Starfire asked, blinking guilelessly.

Raven smiled and shook her head. "Don't ever change, Star."

The Tamaranean grinned. "Being that on Tamaran, females stop their physical growth at age seventeen, there is very little chance of that happening."

Raven repeated her movement, a shake of the head, a smile. "Glad to hear it."

* * *

Robin had officially given up.

It had happened during hour number two hundred forty-four of observing Raven. Robin would have thanked Beast Boy for doing half the work for him—if he hadn't been doing it so _badly_. The changeling had been making faces at her for twenty minutes, hoping for a laugh, but had been striking out. By the time he had turned his eyelids inside out and growled, Raven made a sound of disgust and left the room.

"And a check mark for Tuesday!" Beast Boy had cackled in triumph.

Actually, Robin thought, Beast Boy _wasn't_ doing such a bad job. He had learned from his experience as Batman's partner that police work was mostly negatives. You ruled out what didn't work until you found what did.

But Raven hadn't laughed. Not once. It shouldn't have come as a surprise to the Boy Wonder—she had never shown any sign that she had found Beast Boy amusing—but it was depressing anyway.

Robin had retreated to his room in defeat, stretching out on his bed and sighing.

He felt...melancholy.

It was bothering him, bothering him that there was one more thing he didn't know about Raven—how she looked when she was happy.

It hurt him somehow that nothing made her smile. It hurt him that _he_ couldn't do it. He wanted her to smile at him.

He hated to admit that perhaps that cloak hid an unsolvable riddle. Maybe nothing made Raven happy. He hated to admit how much he _wanted_ it, how much he wanted to see a smile, a real smile, on her face. He had always thought he could do anything, but in Raven's dour expression, he was afraid he'd met his match.

Glumly, he pushed himself off the bed and headed for the training room. Time to work off his frustration the only way he knew how.

Sliding the door open, he was once again surprised to see that Raven had beaten him to his destination.

For one confused second, he thought it was that night again—he in the doorway, Raven waiting for him. But it _wasn't_ like last time, not completely. The last time, he had been so angry, and she hadn't been happy with him, either. Raven, so full of rage..he had heard it in the blows, in the way her fist kissed the sandbags. He had known exactly how she must have felt, knew the way the tremors must have thrilled up her arms until her whole body must have shaken with fury, how her chest must have tightened until she felt she couldn't breathe...

Not this time.

For a few minutes he simply watched her, leaning against the doorframe as if he only had enough concentration for her and not enough to stand up straight.

She was in the center of the room on the mats, engaged in a slow and almost dreamlike T'ai Chi. Her cloak, belt and gloves were placed neatly on the floor in a corner of the room, her boots standing guard alongside them. The control she had over her body was evident in her movements, an almost impossible grace in everything she did. Her eyes were closed—she hadn't heard him come in, so focused was she. He was jealous for a minute of her center, of her ability to retreat so far into herself.

Robin had never done T'ai Chi. Its slow movements and meditative nature held no interest for his heated blood—or, it hadn't before. But watching Raven move called to something in him. He had never seen her look so calm, so at peace. Everything about her was suddenly simple and beautiful—the flat of the black she wore, the contrasting paleness of her skin, the soft spill of her hair. She seemed so easy to look at, like artwork; slender where she was supposed to be slender, curved where she was supposed to be curved.

Enchanted, he strode across the room to place a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Raven?" he whispered.

Raven twisted her arm through his, gripping his hand and backing herself up against him. With one swift move that took him completely by surprise, she had flipped him over her shoulder, judo-style. He ended on his back, stars blinking against his vision for a moment.

"Robin!"

Raven was suddenly kneeling at his side, checking him to make sure he was all right. He grinned up at her, a little embarrassed that she had managed to get the drop on him. "We have got to stop meeting like this," he joked.

She frowned, unamused. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have snuck up on me."

"I didn't mean to," he said as she helped him to his feet, one hand in his. "I was just coming in to work out for a while. I didn't know you were in here."

She sighed. "Maybe we ought to post a schedule outside the door. That way you won't have to worry about me being in here when you want to train."

Robin blanched, mouth tucking in at the corner. "We...don't have to do that. I mean, you know...I wouldn't mind sparring with you."

She blinked at him. "Have you lost it? You never spar with anyone." There was a touch of bitterness in her voice.

He answered that venom with a smile, remembering the strength singing through her arms as they'd grappled, her grace as she eluded him. It excited him to have someone who actually stood a chance of hitting back. "Maybe I could use a partner."

She still looked doubtful, but she raised her fists. "Do you want to spar now?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd teach me..." he said, in a voice that was slightly softer than his usual speaking voice, afraid she'd say no.

"Teach you? What could I possibly teach you?" she asked.

He gestured towards her. "That. The T'ai Chi. Can you teach me?" He shook his head and corrected himself. "I mean, will you teach me?"

Raven looked thoughtful. "If you really want to learn, of course. It's not hard—if you've got a little patience." She said the last with a wry smile. She was ribbing him, he realized.

He smirked at her, moving to stand beside her. If only she knew. "I might, at that. How do we start?"

"Watch me." She began again, slowly. Robin obeyed, trying to mimic her movements, but he found it difficult to concentrate and watch her at the same time. He kept misstepping, getting in his own way and at times her way as well. Raven quickly grew frustrated and sighed through her nose, running a hand through her hair. "No, no, no. This isn't going to work."

"I'm sorry." Robin himself was frustrated. Calm meditation just wasn't his thing.

"No, you can do it," Raven said. "You just have to concentrate harder—you have to _feel_ it."

"Feel it?"

Exasperated, Raven seized Robin's hand in hers. Drawing him around her so that he was once again behind her, she slipped her hands through his so that he was lightly holding her wrists. "Stay there," she instructed. "Close your eyes."

It worked. Slowly, she moved, and holding her, he moved with her.

"Better," she murmured, urging him to step forward with his right foot, moving his arms in the corresponding wheel motion. "Better?"

"Much," he answered. "Is this...good?"

"Good," she sighed, abandoning herself to her movements once again and bringing him along for the ride. "Do you...understand?"

"I understand..."

He understood, yes, he understood everything...

There were no words for it. He knew they were still in the training room, still in Titans' Tower, still somewhere in the world, but without his vision, without his usual hyper-alertness, without the boundaries he and his own senses placed on it, everything was different. There was no sight, no sound, no boundaries, no world. Everything had changed.

He wondered vaguely if this was what it felt like to be in a coma, or in love.

His eyes fluttered closed without his conscious thought; he didn't need to see. Their breathing synchronized, her heartbeat shaking against his chest as she inhaled. He was aware of every movement, aware of _her_, all of her. He imagined he could feel the magic that ran through her, waiting just beneath her skin. He _did_ know her, knew her better than anyone could—

Unable to help himself, he rested his chin on her shoulder, his cheek pressing to hers. She moved her hands, and by extension his, around to her front, close to her chest in a final move, an attitude of prayer. She did not shrug him off, but rather remained there a moment, suspended in his embrace.

"Yes?" he whispered hoarsely, unsure of what exactly he was asking, but she answered him anyway with a nod of her head, her cheek rubbing against his.

He tried again, his mouth suddenly dry, lips trembling. "Raven—"

A shriek interrupted.

"_Oh! Ohhhhhhhhhh!_"

Both birds turned, startled. Raven pulled away from Robin, leaving him confused, alone, freezing without her.

The room was dim, somehow, as if he were wearing sunglasses—it was like he had been sleeping, in the middle of a dream, and the rude noise of the outside world had interrupted irreversibly. A profound, fearful sorrow ran through him—could he ever go back to sleep, finish the dream?

Raven's voice jarred him. He wasn't sure he remembered what sound was like. "It's Starfire," she said. "We've got to go see what's wrong."

"Wait—" He grabbed her arm, not sure what he was planning to say, just knowing that she must not go. She had to stay with him.

"Come on," she said, tugging on his arm. "This way."

Robin hesitated a second, eyes blurry, head aching. He realized that once again, he was chasing Raven. She was running from him.

* * *

Raven burst outside first, searching for the source of the shrieking. "What's wrong, Starfire?"

Starfire was practically dancing, uncaring that the early spring air was chilly or that the dying sunlight was painfully dazzling to the eyes. "Nothing is wrong! Everything is wonderful!"

"Where's the trouble?" Robin was hot on Raven's heels, sliding out the door on one foot and skidding to a halt next to the two girls.

"We're here, Star! What's going on?" Cyborg called, following a cheetah that morphed into Beast Boy upon arrival. Coming to a stop, Cyborg glanced at Robin sharply. "Why are you out of breath?"

Robin tried his best not to look guilty. "I was in the training room." Not entirely a lie. He hoped Raven wouldn't take it personally, but for some reason he didn't want the others to know what they'd been doing.

"Friends, it is the most glorious day!" Starfire trilled, pointing at something. "Look!"

Everyone did.

"Whoa!" Beast Boy chuckled. "Star, your flowers!"

"Well, I'll be damned," Robin said, smiling at the Tamaranean. "What did I tell you, Star?"

It was true. Starfire's flower seeds had apparently had a meeting and decided to bloom—all at the same time. Snapdragons crowded around the base of Titans' Tower like a frenzied rainbow.

"At _sunset_?" Cyborg wondered aloud. "How could that happen? Flowers don't bloom at night."

Robin frowned. Cyborg was right. He had been so distracted that he hadn't realized what time it was.

"Maybe Star fed the plants some of her Tamaranean cuisine," Beast Boy joked. "It'd be like steroids for them!"

"Friend Raven?" Starfire asked softly. "You look troubled. Do you not like my flowers?"

Everyone turned to the dark bird, who was blushing, her eyelashes batting as she stared down at the snapdragons. She turned her face to the Tamaranean, looking..._surprised_.

"Of course I do, Star," she said, eyes wide but voice genuine. "They're...they're beautiful."

Starfire grinned, spinning gracefully in midair to display her joy. "Oh glorious day!...Ah, night!" she corrected herself.

Raven continued to stare down at the snapdragons, and Robin managed to pinpoint her expression—fear. She was afraid of them for some reason.

"Whatsamatter, Raven?" Beast Boy teased. "They just _call_ 'em snapdragons. They don't bite!"

Raven laughed, a short, high-pitched bleat of sound, her eyes wide. She covered her suddenly smiling mouth with one hand, dropping to her knees beside the flowers. She reached out almost helplessly to touch them, stroking the petals as if to make sure they were real.

"Whoa, Rave. Are you okay? You _never _laugh at my jokes," Beast Boy said amusedly.

Cyborg wasn't paying as much attention to one bird as he was to the other. "Robin? Are _you_ okay?" he asked suspiciously.

Robin looked at the metal man, at the same time realizing he'd locked his arms around himself, as if he were cold.

"They're...lovely," Raven said, her monotone voice wondering, full of awe. "They're so beautiful."

Starfire didn't hear the soft shock in her friend's voice. She was just happy. "I am so glad they please you! Are they not all I said they would be?"

"Robin?" Cyborg gently shook the Boy Wonder's shoulder. "You didn't answer me. You okay?"

Robin blinked, as though he were coming out of a deep sleep. "What? Oh. Yeah, Cy, I'm okay. Have you seen Star's flowers?"

Cyborg chuckled. "Yeah. It's really something, isn't it?"

Robin's eyes were on Raven, who was bent over the snapdragons, breathing deeply as though it were the incense she loved so much.

"It certainly is," he murmured.

* * *

Raven was curled up on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. She couldn't get those snapdragons out of her head.

For a minute she had thought Cyborg was going to figure it out. When he had mentioned the sunset, she had known for sure that the whole thing was her fault. The flowers couldn't have bloomed in the dim light without help.

And she had been in the training room when it had happened—cradled in Robin's arms.

She couldn't forget the feel of his hands on her. And she had known that he _did_ have the calm in him—the control of those hands, those strong hands. She had seen those hands smash through walls, draw blood from his opponents, render his foes unconscious. How could such strong hands rest so lightly on her body?

His voice kept haunting her, all his questions, his endless questions. It was something she enjoyed about him—his constant curiosity, his lust for knowledge, his determination and cleverness in seeking answers to those questions.

_"Everyone knows your powers act up when you're angry. How do they react when you're happy?"_

The flowers, so beautiful...and she had never seen her powers do anything like that, never seen her own energy create something precious and lovely.

But how? It _couldn't_ be because...

She had done T'ai Chi a thousand times before...just never with him, never so close to him with his arms around her and his breath hot on her neck. Like an echo, she heard him whisper to her. _"Raven—"_

_"Raven..."_

"Raven."

She blinked, sitting up on the bed. It had sounded almost real that time.

Someone knocked politely on the door with their knuckles. "Raven?"

Rising, she smoothed her black nightgown and walked slowly to the door, opening it carefully so that only her face peeked out. "What do you want?"

Robin was standing outside her door in sweats and a wifebeater, like he was about to go to sleep. In his hand was a bouquet of Star's snapdragons. "I...I came to say good night," he said. "And to give you these." He held the flowers out to her.

Raven eyed the flowers warily. They smiled back at her with bright colors. "What would I want with flowers?"

"You seemed to like them so much," he faltered, unsure of where her sudden coldness was coming from. "You couldn't take your eyes off them."

_And lately you haven't been able to take your eyes off me, Boy Wonder!_

Robin looked almost shy. If he had been any other boy, he'd have run his hand through his hair and shuffled his feet. "I thought maybe you'd want to keep some..."

Raven's confusion hit flashpoint. She couldn't take this anymore. The voices in her head began to whisper, an oh so familiar tune. _Turn back, turn back, turn back..._

"Flowers?" she heard herself ask in disbelief. "Why are you giving me _flowers?_"

Robin blinked. "...I don't know. I...I wanted to, I guess. They made you smile."

Raven frowned. They hadn't been the only thing that had made her smile—

—but she'd be _damned _if she'd let _him_ know!

"Robin, what _is_ this?" She was genuinely confused. "First you _hate_ me, then you beat the _stuffing_ out of me in the training room, then you do _dishes_ with me, and now you're bringing me _flowers?_ What is your _point?_ What do you _want?_"

"_Want?_" It was Robin's turn to be confused. "Why do I have to have a _point_, Raven? Maybe I just _wanted_ to do something _nice_ for you, although I'm starting to forget _why_," he snapped, and that was good, that was safe. It sounded like the old Robin again.

The little voices in her head were getting louder. _Truth or Dare, Truth or Dare, Truth or Dare!_

_Truth!_

"_You_," she roared in the loudest voice that had ever issued from her small frame, "drive _me—_"

He waited, those masked eyes unfathomable but the twist of his mouth betraying confusion.

"**_Crazy_!**" Raven finished, poking a finger into his chest.

For a minute the air between them was thick. And then he reacted.

With a smile.

It wasn't a grin—it wasn't big enough for that. It wasn't arrogant; it looked nothing like the smile that he wore whenever they triumphed over a villain. There was no victory in his smile. It was oddly _sweet_, as if she'd told him exactly what he wanted to hear. She wished more than anything that she could see his eyes, see the light in them that shone from such a sweet smile.

_Why_ was he smiling like that?

"Congratulations," she hissed. "You drive me crazy. Is this what you wanted? Does it make you happy to make me feel this way?"

She slammed the door in his face. To the untrained eye it looked like she simply wanted to get away from him as fast as she could—but it was because she didn't want him to see the tears glittering in her eyes.

* * *

Robin couldn't remember what sleep felt like.

Shadows danced across the ceiling above him, but he didn't hear the wind outside his window. All he could hear was her voice.

_"You drive me crazy!"_

He closed his unshielded eyes, drawing an arm over them as if blindness would also make him deaf to the voices in his head.

_"Is this what you wanted? Does it make you happy to make me feel this way?"_

Uncovering his face, he blinked at the ceiling once more. **_No, Raven,_** he thought. **_It doesn't make me happy to make you feel that way..._**

_**...but it **does **make me happy to make you FEEL.**_

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I always liked **snapdragons**. They lend themselves totally to Starfire's particular brand of humor.

Raven's also reading a **Daredevil** comic in this chapter. I love Daredevil—I think he's awesome, but the reference is actually a smile for my friend Reg who'll probably never read this. She laughs at me for watching the Titans and reading comics, but she named Daredevil as her favorite, "because he's the most _normal_. You know, he's an _ordinary_ _guy_ superhero—not like Superman or anything." I agree with you, Reg—Daredevil is cool. (smiles).

The reference to **Pamela Eisely—**better known to us as **Poison Ivy—**is a reference and a smile for my sister, who watched _Batman and Robin _with me this week. We know it's definitely the campiest out of all the _Batman_ films, but we can't help laughing at Ivy's jokes.

**Next chapter:** Robin's won his dare—but unfortunately for him, Raven will never tell him!

Unless, of course, he ups the ante...


	4. My Favorite Game

**Author's Introduction:**

**To T.T. Darby: **Good call! You are indeed correct, BB's line **"And a check mark for Tuesday!"** during the last chapter is a homage to the best comic strip that ever ran, _Calvin and Hobbes_. I was a devoted supporter even when I was a kid—I read it every Sunday and I now have all the collections in book form. I meant to mention the honorific in the author's notes and must have overlooked it. Thanks for catching my slipup, and it's good to see another _Calvin and Hobbes _fan! (toasts Darby with a smile.) Cheers!

**Permission to act slightly exasperated for a second? Thanks:** It's no secret that this is a Robin/Raven romance. You have been warned, folks! If you don't like it, **don't read it!** Or better yet, don't read itand then **flame me for the pairing.** That's just not **constructive criticism**, which is all I ask for.

**Okay, I'm done (smiles) Thanks for that rant!**

Now, where was I?

Oh, right—so Raven's slammed the door in Robin's face. It should be over...

But that wouldn't be any fun. (evil grin.)

* * *

**Chapter Four: My Favorite Game**

_This is not a case of lust, you see_

_It's not a matter of you versus me_

_I really thought that I could take you there_

_But my experiment is not getting us anywhere_

_I only know what I've been looking for_

_Another **YOU,** so I could love you more_

_I should have seen it when my hope was new_

_My heart is black and my body is blue _

_And I'm losing my favorite game_

(My Favorite Game)

(The Cardigans)

* * *

Cyborg might have been the only man to ever get Raven in a position where her head was down and her ass was up.

"I can't find it," she yelled from under the hood of the T-Car, leaning way over so that she could shine her flashlight around. She was in a black tank top and a short black cotton skirt, which was her favorite way to lounge around the Tower when they weren't working. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to see."

"Keep looking," Cyborg said, not turning his attention away from the toolbox. "It looks sort of like a roast beef."

"A _what?_" Raven said exasperatedly. "Cyborg, there is nothing in here that looks even remotely like a ro—" Her eyes caught on something towards the back of the engine. "Wait, do you mean this thing that looks like a jelly roll?" Robin had been right about her sweet tooth.

Cyborg chuckled. "Yeah, we're probably talking about the same thing. Just jiggle it a little."

Raven obeyed. "What exactly am I jiggling down here?"

"The starter," Cyborg answered, moving around to the driver's seat. "Sometimes it acts up. Now get your cute little butt out from under that hood before you get toasted."

Raven hopped out from under the hood. She wiped a hand across her face, smearing oil across her cheek and forehead. Meanwhile Cyborg turned the ignition, and the engine roared to life. "Boo-yah!" he crowed, giving her a thumbs-up from behind the wheel. Raven treated him to one of her rare smiles, and Cyborg remembered why he'd really asked for her help.

"Here ya go, Rave." He tossed her a towel to clean up with. "Thanks for giving me a hand."

"Anytime, tinman." Raven wiped at the oil on her face, but only succeeded in smudging it across her cheek.

She seemed to be in a good mood, Cyborg thought. Now was as good a time as any to ruin it.

"You and Robin really beat the hell out of each other, didn't you?"

The dark bird jumped, caught. "What do you mean?"

"I figured he wasn't going to let it go," Cyborg said lightly. "Didn't want to ask you too much about the bruise, Rave. I figured you had it under control, especially when I saw that Robbie had some bruises of his own."

Raven was still visibly shaken, but she composed herself and nodded. "We were sparring," was all she said. "It was just a workout."

Cyborg laughed. "Yeah. I figured you two...worked it out."

"There is no need for you to worry about anything," Raven continued. "Everything is fine."

Cyborg chuckled darkly. "Betcha wouldn't tell me if it wasn't, would you, Rae?"

Raven's face was completely neutral as she said. "I wouldn't have to tell you. You'd probably notice something exploding."

Unable to help himself, Cyborg laughed out loud, smacking a hand on the newly-buffed hood of the T-Car.

"Made you smile," Raven said, just as deadpan but with a smirk.

Cyborg watched her as she left the garage, shaking his head. Something still wasn't right, but he was content for now. He'd gotten an answer he hadn't expected, but one that made perfect sense to him—it was small wonder Raven and Robin were constantly butting heads. They were a lot alike.

* * *

Robin had taken to sleeping with headphones on. He would take afternoon trips into Jump City and return with dozens of CDs that he would play long into the night, finding the tortured riffs of Guns 'N Roses or From Autumn to Ashes more soothing than his own thoughts.

After she had refused the flowers he'd offered her, Robin had kept a careful distance from Raven. He stopped watching her from across the room, stopped following her around, and whenever he saw her heading towards the training room, he made it a point to have an elsewhere to be.

And to his surprise and pleasure, this seemed to bother Raven most of all.

It was almost funny. He had followed Raven around for days, bending over backwards (literally, if the training room counted) trying to make her pay attention to him. But if he had wanted to elicit a response in Raven, all he had really needed to do was ignore her. The more he distanced himself from her, the more she came to him. Sometimes when she was at the stove, he would hear her murmuring a scrap of song as she brewed her tea. She began to spend almost as much time in the training room as he did—which made it difficult to train on his own in there, a fact which alternately amused and annoyed him—and she would inquire coolly about whatever case he was currently filing as if she were just trying to pass the time.

One night she happened upon him in the evidence room. He was staring at the broken mask he'd recovered from one of his bouts with Slade, shaking his head, not thinking about anything in particular. She slipped up behind him without a sound, and her voice broke into his thoughts, making him jump.

"Truth or dare, Robin?"

It was only her voice that had startled him, not her presence there. He had gotten used to her finding him at the odd moment. And somehow he had known that when he was tangled in his deepest, darkest thoughts, that she would be there.

"Truth," he said automatically, not looking at her, reaching out to straighten the mask where it hung on the wall to mock him.

"Why does it bother you so much?" she said, walking around to stand at his side. She also reached out to touch the mask, caressing its metal cheek with one hand like a lover. "We have many enemies. We have won many battles. Why this one and not the others?"

He had a sudden urge to take off his own mask. _The better to see you with, my dear—_

He answered her question with a question. "Have you ever been to Gotham City?"

She shook her dark head. "No, never."

He smiled. "Sooner or later, everyone goes to Gotham City. It's where everything is. You ought to see the night there, Raven. Neon lights, dark skies, the moon as big as you've ever seen it..." He sighed. "I never loved the night until I was swinging from jumplines through it." He closed his eyes, remembering, and then he answered her question more directly.

"Everyone goes to Gotham, Raven. Socialites, philanthropists, heroes and criminals, saints and sociopaths. I have faced off against a rogue's gallery of psychos, killers, hoods and costumed megalomaniacs. And I was _smart_, Raven, smarter than them, _all_ of them. I just don't like to think that Slade might be..._smarter_...than me."

She didn't say anything for a few moments. She began to walk around the room, examining all the bits and pieces collected in that room, evidence of triumph used to beat back the pain of defeat.

"I have never been to Gotham City," was all she said as she made the complete circle and returned to him. "I have never seen the night there."

He felt the smile tug at his lips, let it come. "You'd fit right into it, Raven, like a missing piece. I'd be afraid to follow you into it."

"I don't think so," she said, walking past him to leave the room, to leave him as she always did.

"You don't think you'd fit into the night?" he asked, still smiling until he heard her answer.

"No." She actually looked over her shoulder. "I don't think you'd be afraid."

* * *

_Here we go again_, Cyborg thought with a smile.

The Titans were seated around the table playing a game of Risk. It wasn't going well for Starfire, who, while an excellent fighter, had no head for strategy. Her yellow pieces were sadly outnumbered on the board. Right now she chewed her soft lower lip and glanced worriedly down at Siam, the only area she was currently unopposed in.

Beast Boy was also having a rough time. He was having no luck with the dice, and his thought processes were far too erratic for him to plan a way out of the hole he'd dug for himself. His green men were scattered over the board, usually only one in a country, sitting ducks for a more ruthless player.

Cyborg wasn't doing too badly for himself. His black pieces were comfortably settled in the land of the free _and_ the home of the brave, and it wouldn't take much effort to oust BB out of South America. Besides, the man-machine cared little for the game itself. He was having too much fun watching the war taking place on the other side of the world.

Robin's red pieces were at maximum strength in Europe, usually in direct conflict with Raven's blue ones. Cyborg could practically hear their synapses firing as they tried to psych each other out. After Robin had jokingly referred to Raven as the "axis of evil", everyone knew it meant war, and when they had battled over Russia for the fifth time it was obvious neither was backing down.

Robin moved one of his red men down into Egypt. "Hey Raven, knock knock," he teased. "Who's there? An asskicking!"

"You wish." She handed him the dice.

"Should we order a pizza?" Beast Boy wondered aloud.

"Probably," Cyborg chuckled. "If we can get Hitler and Stalin over here to quit long enough to eat."

"We can't quit now, Cy," Robin said, rolling the dice and not looking up from the board. "I'm just about to kick Raven out of Egypt." The dice came up on the high side for Robin. "Yes!" he cheered, raising his arms in victory. "You're outta there, Raven! Have fun wandering the desert for forty years."

"A plague on you," Raven hissed, moving her blue pieces.

The other Titans did order pizza, Beast Boy calling under careful supervision from Cyborg to make sure at least one pie had meat on it. Starfire volunteered to fetch it, appointing Cyborg to play in her absence with a wary glance at Beast Boy's decimated troops. The game continued normally until, during one of the changeling's turns, Raven gasped loudly, clutching her head, and tipped out of her chair to the floor.

Everyone started yelling. "Raven?"

"Rave, you okay?"

"What is it, Raven?"

Robin slammed both hands on the table, making the game pieces shudder. "Raven? Are you having a vision?"

Raven seldom had actual visions. Her empathy usually just fed her information from people—more like she could get a sense of their general mood. But sometimes she hit the bingo and and an actual prediction was pressed into her head. Robin had the feeling they were about to get lucky.

Raven was sucking in deep breaths, her shaking hands pressed over her eyes as if to keep out whatever she was seeing. "I can see...Robin..."

The owner of that name walked around the table and leaned closer. "What is it, Raven?"

"You're...going..."

"Yes?" He could barely hear her whisper.

"You're...going...**_down!_**" Raven yelled into Robin's ear. The Boy Wonder tipped backwards, crashing to the floor.

The Titans burst into laughter—all except Robin, who frowned. Beast Boy actually held up his hand to Raven.

"Good one!" the green Titan crowed, proud of his friend's jest. They high-fived—something that had never happened before.

"**I declare war!**" Robin roared, pointing at Raven, but was interrupted by Starfire returning with the pizza.

"Sit down, Alexander the Great," Cyborg ordered with a laugh. "You, too, Cassandra."

Robin and Raven sat down glumly, their game interrupted. They stayed silent until the pizza was distributed, and then Robin held his hand up to Raven, the same way Beast Boy had done before.

"Good one," he said, and the dark bird smiled almost imperceptibly. Instead of high-fiving him back hard, she simply placed her hand against his in a slow movement that was not lost on the other Titans.

"Good game," was all she said in return.

They ate their pizza in relative silence, but Robin had a contented smile on his face the whole time that seemed to have nothing to do with the food.

* * *

Another evening at Titans' Tower was in full swing, and Starfire and Raven were tangled together in the middle of the rec room floor.

Starfire's hair was tickling Raven's stomach. The Tamaranean giggled when the dark bird squirmed. "Be still, Raven, or you shall lose this game!"

"It's not _fair_," Raven cried, wobbling. "Star's got longer hair than I do and she's tickling me. Can someone call out a new color?"

Beast Boy chuckled maniacally as he twirled the Twister spinner. "You guys are turning me on down there. If only the board was covered with pudding!"

The two girls twined around each other growled at the changeling. "Beast _Boyyyyyyy—_"

"Right hand green! Right hand green!" Beast Boy yelled quickly.

Both girls shifted. Star took her right hand and flipped her body over so that she was basically bridged across her side of the Twister mat. Meanwhile Raven ended on all fours. Maybe Cyborg wasn't the only one who could get her in such a position—Beast Boy chuckled at the sight and spun again.

"Right foot yellow!"

Raven and Starfire both moved on the board. Starfire was closer to a yellow space, but Raven was more ruthless, hip-checking the Tamaranean in an attempt to prove the first rule of physics. "Waiiiiiiiii!" Star squealed, wobbling, teetering, and then finally tipping over.

"Woo hoo!" Raven said from her side of the board. "I am the Twister Queen!" She had already conquered Beast Boy and Cyborg, despite the metal man's enormous size and the changeling's ability to transform into an octopus.

"Not yet," Robin chuckled. "You still haven't beaten _me_!"

Raven hopped to her feet. "You're on, Bird Boy. Let's go."

Beast Boy leapt to the top of the sofa and puffed out his chest, using his best announcer voice. "In _this_ cornerrrrrrr," he intoned, pointing both hands toward Robin, "The Boy Wonder, Scourge of All Evil, the Caped Crusader, _Rrrrrrrrobin!_"

Robin clasped both hands over his head like a prize boxer, grinning. "And the crowd goes wild!"

"Aaaaaaaaaand in _this _cornerrrrrr," Beast Boy continued, pointing to Raven, "The Punk Rock Princess, the Nightweaver, the Dark Darling of Jump City, _Rrrrrrraven!_"

Raven pointed an arm at Robin, hand curled into a fist with her thumb parallel to the floor. Smirking, she turned a thumbs-down, as if the Twister mat was the Roman coliseum. "You're going down. Oracles don't lie."

Beast Boy raised the spinner high. "_Lllllllllet's get ready to rumbllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllle!_"

"Robin, you are our last hope to defeat Raven at the Twisting game!" Starfire called, smiling. "She has defeated Beast Boy, Cyborg, and myself!"

"You went down fighting, Star." Cyborg soothed, patting the sofa next to him. Starfire sat down happily, offering the metal man some Reese's Pieces as they watched the spectacle.

"Left hand blue," Beast Boy said. Robin put one hand down on a blue spot, looking like a football player waiting for the snapback. Raven had to reach across the mat, arching her back gracefully as she put one hand down. "Right foot red..."

Beast Boy continued to call out colors and the two birds continued to twine around each other. "This isn't fair," Robin whined. "I'm wearing jeans and I can't stretch that far."

"I'm not having any trouble," Raven gloated, extending one pale leg across the board, exposing a long line of thigh. Robin wobbled, trying to crane his neck to see the spectacle.

"I do not think Robin would fit into your skirt, Raven," Starfire said innocently. Beast Boy and Cyborg stifled laughter, earning them a glare from the Boy Wonder.

"Shut..._up_," he grated out, looping one arm through the crook of Raven's to get to a green spot. The rest of the Titans doubled over with laughter.

"You guys look like a bad porno!" Beast Boy squealed from the top of the couch, holding his belly as if it hurt to laugh.

"I think they look like a good one!" Cyborg chuckled.

Robin and Raven joined forces in commanding their friends to shut up, and Beast Boy retuned to calling out colors. Raven eventually ended up bridged across the mat, her arms behind her and her legs bent double to hold her up. Robin was arched above her, his legs on either side of hers, his strong arms trapping her shoulders.

"You're going down, Boy Wonder," Raven teased.

"I know you like to be on top, but there's no need to be so demanding," he teased right back.

Raven stared up into his grin, a blush coloring her pale cheek. "Robin!"

Cyborg had to chuckle at that one. Meanwhile, Beast Boy was smirking, looking pointedly at the position he had his two teammates in. After a moment's thought, he considered the board, wondering what would be the best move to topple them both. With a mischievous look, the changeling tossed the spinner aside. Raven and Robin didn't notice, locked in their staring contest as they were.

Beast Boy smiled seraphically as he announced, "Right hand blue," without consulting the spinner.

Raven and Robin each had a foot on blue, and only one more blue spot was within their reach. Raven tried to beat Robin to the space, her hand slipping across the board. She lost her balance and hit the floor, inadvertantly kicking Robin's leg out from under him. He landed on top of her, arms still holding him up slightly, his lower body snuggled down between her legs.

"Oh!" Raven cried, blushing harder.

"Bullseye!" Beast Boy cracked up, his plan having worked perfectly. "You should see your faces! I wish I had a camera!"

Robin turned his head to yell at Beast Boy. "_No_ cameras!"

Raven squirmed under Robin. She was only dimly realizing that he was heavy. The rest of her senses were filled with just _him—_her breasts were pressed against his chest, her heart rate picking up at feeling him, all of him—and she could tell that he didn't mind having her beneath him at all.

_That makes two of us..._she thought without realizing.

It didn't make _sense_. This was _Robin_. There was no _way_ the Boy Wonder desired her that much—but there was the evidence, pressed against her through his jeans and her thin cotton skirt. His breath was warm on her cheek, and he didn't seem inclined to move any time soon. She could feel her heart knocking against her breastbone, the beats synchronizing with the pulse of his heart. It was the closest she'd ever been to him. Why did she keep ending up in his arms lately?

She had to fight to keep her mind calm, because being pinned beneath him was exciting; the aura of strength and masculinity he exuded was somehow mesmerizing. She wanted only to press herself harder against him; instead her hands found his chest and pushed at him. "You're _heavy_," she said, the only sentence her dizzy brain could come up with.

He only grinned down at her. "So you do like to be on top."

_I wouldn't mind being on top of **you...**_

"You'll never know," she gasped. "Get off me!" Her words were shaky, because in truth that was the absolute last thing she wanted him to do.

Robin didn't obey; instead he laughed. "You hit the floor first, Raven. Don't be a sore loser. Winning isn't everything!"

"No," she snarled, and with one swift move rolled them over so that she was straddling him. Robin hissed in a breath as the motion forced her hips to grind against him. Raven leaned in close to purr his own words back into his shocked face. "It's just the only thing that matters."

Beast Boy laughed aloud. "Look who's hit the floor _now!_"

Raven stood up calmly—or, would have, if Robin hadn't tried to hold her hips. As she got to her feet, his hands dragged lightly down her bare thighs, which set her pulse to racing again. She hoped the others didn't notice that she was trembling—and walked around the board. "So, I guess that's game?"

Starfire clapped her hands. "Well played, Raven. You fought admirably!"

Beast Boy was still laughing. "You should have seen your face, Raven."

"I hate you," Raven said calmly. "Although you did have one good idea." She turned to the other Titans. "Anyone in the mood for pudding?"

"That depends, will you be bathing in it?" Beast Boy grinned cheekily. Raven pushed him off the sofa.

* * *

Robin twisted the cold tap on the shower, closing his eyes and raising his face to the icy spray.

What had she been playing at on that Twister board? Throwing his own words back at him, _taunting_ him, rolling his body over so she could ride him as she dared him once again. _You're going down..._

In a way it was absurd to even consider it—Raven flirting, teasing him. She didn't do things like that...

But what _was_ that? Every exercise, every game they played, she seemed more determined than ever to rise to his challenges. And then when she would seek him out, that quiet curiosity, her wanting to get inside his head...

**_I'd be afraid to follow you into it,_**he'd teased her.

_I don't think you'd be afraid,_ she'd answered.

Was it another dare—another challenge?

...No. She had said it herself.

**_So you do like to be on top_,**he'd teased.

_You'll never know,_ she'd cried as she struggled to push him away. She'd said no, it was never going to happen.

He let the cold water numb him as much as it could.

* * *

The days were getting warmer. Training sessions were held outdoors more often, and movies were saved for rainy afternoons. Many a day saw the Titans outside enjoying the nice weather, and today was no exception.

It had been Robin's idea to play football. He had drawn the teams up himself. Ever since the game of Twister in the rec room, he hadn't been able to get Raven out of his mind. But Raven had gone out of her way not to touch him physically, not to put herself in close proximity with him.

So he was going to _force_ her to come to him, any way he could.

"Fourth down, Titans," he said, dropping to a crouch. "_Blue thirty-two! Blue thirty-two! Hike!_"

The ball was snapped back to him, and Raven began to count for the opposing team. "One Gotham City...two Gotham City...three Gotham City..."

Starfire ignored the count and pounced, tackling the Boy Wonder to the ground. They rolled over and over, a blur of casual clothing. Star ended up on her side, giggling at Robin as he spit grass into the air.

"Starfire, you're supposed to wait until I count to _five_," Raven yelled from across the field.

"You were taking far too much time to count," Starfire defended herself.

"That's all well and good, Star," Robin chuckled, getting to his feet, "but you're on _my_ _team_."

Starfire blushed with a smile on her face that said she had known exactly what she was doing. "Oh! How _silly_ of me!" She giggled, and Robin couldn't help smiling back. Starfire could be naïve at times, but she wasn't entirely guiltless of the wisdom of the serpent. And it was nice to know his plan had worked—too bad he'd ended up with the wrong girl on top of him.

He wasn't sure what to make of Starfire. She enjoyed his company, was always happy to be around him. She was generous with her affection, as cheerful as sunlight. And definitely beautiful. But...

There were deeper reasons that he couldn't see himself with the bubbly alien princess. The dark corners of his mind were no place for Starfire. She would never understand the things that made him smash his fists into mirrors, the things that kept him awake till dawn.

Starfire would be very out of place in a Gotham City night.

Like a visual aid, Raven shook her dark hair back from her face and announced, "I'm not going to play football with a super-strong alien who would rather tackle than win."

"It's too _hot_ to play football anyway," Beast Boy whined. "Anybody want to go swimming?"

Starfire giggled. "Beast Boy, I am close to reaching your destination!"

"What?" the changeling asked.

"She means she's way ahead of you," Raven said. "In fact, we both are." And the dark bird pulled her t-shirt over her head, revealing the two tiny triangles of a black bikini top. Robin, being a young red-blooded male, couldn't help but stare at the curve of her breasts as they strained against the shiny fabric. Where had she been hiding those?

"Raven and I decided we would like to swim when we saw how sunny it was," Starfire added, stripping off her own tank top and dropping her denim shorts to show she was wearing a lavender bikini. In contrast to Raven's voluptuous figure, Star was taller, more lithe than the dark bird. She giggled cutely at the sight of her stunned friends, who couldn't seem to take their eyes off her.

"I _love_ swimming," Beast Boy said dreamily, drooling at the sight of his female teammates.

"You girls should have told us," Robin said. "I'm going in and getting my suit."

Raven unzipped her jeans, sliding them over her hips as she listened to her friends. "Did you bring out towels, Star?"

"In my haste, I fear I have left them in the hall," Starfire answered. "I am sorry, Raven."

"No big. I'll go in and get them." Raven stepped out of her jeans and headed for the Tower.

"Nah, I got 'em, Raven," Beast Boy said. "I'm going in to get my suit too. Coming, Cy?"

"And get water in my circuits?" the metal man chuckled. "Nah, I'll play lifeguard today. But I will come in and stock up a cooler. How does soda sound to everybody?"

By the time Beast Boy and Robin returned, Starfire and Raven were already in the water. The Tamaranean's eyes were closed, her arms stretched out in front of her. "Marco," she called.

"Polo," Raven answered, backstroking away from her friend.

"Polo," Beast Boy teased, kneeling at the bank and splashing at Starfire, who whirled, eyes still closed, to see where the noise was coming from.

"There is a fish out of the water!" she cried, laughing.

"Not anymore!" Beast Boy leaped into the water, transforming into a marlin in midair. He resurfaced in human form, waving to Robin. "Come on in, dude!"

Robin obeyed, diving in from the highest part of the bank gracefully. When he broke the surface, Raven was staring at him, frowning.

"What?" he asked, confused. "What's the matter, Raven?"

Raven made a sign, tracing a dripping hand in front of her eyes. "Your mask," she said. "Do you ever take it off?"

Robin's hands flew to his face. In truth, he hadn't even realized he was still wearing his mask. He barely paid attention to it anymore, he had grown so used to it. "The mask is a part of me, Raven. Live with it, because I have to." He hadn't meant to sound so bitter.

She blushed. "I didn't mean—"

"Forget it." To stall the conversation, he dove beneath the water, swimming away from her.

What was her problem with the mask? She was always asking him about the mask...

He came up for air, and two wet, tanned arms locked around him from behind. "I have got you!" Star crowed. Her hands slid over his chest, trying to guess who she had in her clutches. "All right," she announced. "It is not Raven."

"What tipped you off?" the dark bird laughed, cradling her own breasts in her hands. Robin's eyes widened behind his mask at the display. She was _doing_ it again—

"_Oh_, do that again, Rave!" Beast Boy laughed. Raven flipped him the finger, but she was smirking. Robin wondered what had gotten into her. She wasn't usually so easy, so teasing, so...

...sexy...

Starfire heard her friends talking and by process of elimination figured out who she was holding. "Robin!" she cheered. "Have I guessed right?"

"You did, Star," Robin said, and the Tamaranean hooked her chin over his shoulder, squeezing him in her arms.

Raven was watching them, her eyes dark with some emotion that she wouldn't allow to spill onto her face. Robin glanced at her, how the sunlight on the water sparkled around her muted color, the way the water glowed on her pale skin and rolled down into the valley between her breasts. He decided to do something completely unkind.

"Want a ride, Star?" he asked cheerfully, lifting the Tamaranean onto his back. She squealed with glee, looping her arms around his neck.

Raven splashed clumsily to the shore, refusing to look at them. She climbed onto the bank and mimicked Robin's earlier dive, breaking the surface of the water with barely a splash.

"Nice dive, Rave!" Cyborg said, emerging from the Tower with a cooler in his hands just in time to see it.

Raven smiled and waved to him. "Thanks."

"My turn!" Beast Boy yelled. "Watch _this_!" Transforming into a swan, he lifted himself out of the water a few feet, then fell gracefully back into it. "Get it?" he laughed, resurfacing. "Swan dive!"

"You think that's good, watch _this_," Robin challenged, assisting Starfire off his back and climbing onto the bank. He had left his shirt and sneakers by the Tower, but there was one thing he always carried just in case—a spare birdarang. Finding it now, he rigged a jumpline to it, then threw it in a graceful arc towards Titans' Tower, where it anchored firmly into the side of the structure. Taking a running start, he swung from the jumpline out over the water, letting go at the end to dive in.

"Glorious!" Starfire cheered, clapping her hands.

"Nice one!" Beast Boy agreed.

"Might I try as well?" Starfire asked, levitating out of the water and touching down on the bank. "Cyborg, will you assist me?"

"Sure thing, Star," Cyborg laughed, realizing what she wanted to do. Backing up as far as where Cyborg had left the cooler, Starfire took a running start towards the shore. When she reached him, the man-machine grabbed her around the waist and threw her out over the water, where she splashed down, laughing.

Robin grinned. "Okay, you guys, you all think you're hot stuff, but I'm about to show you all up!" Hopping onto the bank, he tugged on the jumpline he had left at the Tower, and his birdarang fell to his hand, ready to be thrown again. This time, he tossed it as high and as far as he could, striking the top of the Tower itself. Tugging on the line to make sure it was secure, he began to climb.

"Uhhhhhh," Beast Boy said warily. "Robin? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"What are you doing?" Starfire asked. "That does not seem..._safe!_"

"Can't hear you guys, I'm too far up!" Robin joked, laughing down at his friends.

"No, seriously, Rob, don't go up there," Cyborg said. "It's too high."

"Come on, Cy, what do I look like? Some kind of coward?" Robin said, hauling himself up the grappler hand over hand. "I can do it."

"You're going to get yourself _killed_," Beast Boy said, frowning. "Idiot!"

"Robin! I beg of you, do not go! It is far too dangerous!" Starfire pleaded, flitting up alongside the Boy Wonder as he climbed. He flashed her his best dazzling smile.

"No worries, Star! Don't you trust me?"

The Tamaranean looked doubtful, but she sank slowly down towards the earth again. Back on the ground, the other two boys looked at Raven, waiting for her to protest. The half-demon's dark eyes watched Robin, wary, waiting. She looked utterly calm and completely unimpressed by his show of bravado, but there was something in the depths of those eyes.

"Stop, wait, come back," she said, almost boredly, not like she meant it at all.

"Friends! We must not allow Robin to do this dangerous thing!" Starfire said, touching down again.

"_Raven_," Beast Boy said, turning to the dark bird. "You can levitate. Go up there and _get_ him!"

Raven shook her head, giving Beast Boy a Look. "Don't be silly," she said calmly. "He's just showing off. He's not really going to do it."

Cyborg remembered that necklace of bruises on the Boy Wonder's throat. "He might. Talk him down, Raven. We don't want him to get hurt."

"Why are you all looking at _me_?" Raven asked exasperatedly. "Why should I be the one to go get him?"

The other Titans looked at each other, then back at Raven. It was Cyborg who said it. "Because he'll _listen_ to you."

Raven looked puzzled, her mouth falling open to argue, but it was too late. A shout interrupted them.

"**Hey, guys! You ready to be amazed?**"

Raven's violet eyes widened. "He'll come down," she said, but this time she sounded entirely unconvinced. "He's not really going to _do_ it..."

"Who're you trying to convince, Rae, us or you?" Beast Boy asked darkly.

"He won't do it," Raven said, louder now, with more conviction. "He _wouldn't_."

Robin grinned and waved from the top of the tower. "All right, watch me now," he called. "_Cannonball!_"

Much to Cyborg's surprise, Raven grasped his cybernetic arm tightly and gave a soft cry as soon as Robin actually jumped. No one breathed until he hit the water and came up, laughing in triumph, shaking water back from his hair.

Cyborg, now that no one was hurt, was laughing too. He turned to Raven, ruffling her hair with his free hand. "Get a little scared, dark bird?"

Raven frowned, tossing Cyborg's arm to his side and turning away. She sniffed. "I wasn't scared."

"Robin!" Starfire called, rushing towards the water. "We were worried about you!"

"I'm fine!" Robin called. "In fact, I'm the _man!_"

"You're a moron!" Beast Boy corrected. "You could have split your skull open!"

"You're just mad 'cause you can't beat that," Robin exulted, getting to shore. "Can't go any higher than the top of the tower!"

Raven smirked. "Is that right."

Everyone turned to her.

Robin's grin dropped off his face and crashed to the ground. "You can't _go_ any higher than the top of the Tower."

Raven's eyes hooded themselves. "Maybe _you_ can't." She tightened the ties on her bikini top, then lifted slowly off the ground.

"No, Rave, _don't_," Beast Boy groaned. "I'm gonna have a heart attack."

But Raven would not be deterred. She levitated upwards, moving out over the water. "You're pretty good, Robin," she admitted, "but you're limited." She demonstrated exactly _how_ he was limited with a wave of her hands towards the air she was floating in.

"Oh yeah?" the Boy Wonder challenged. "You think you can do it from the top of the Tower?"

"I can do _better_," Raven said, continuing to ascend.

"What?" Robin asked from the ground. "How?"

But she was still in midair, climbing higher almost languidly. "High enough for you?" she called, as soon as she was above the tower's roof.

"It's way too fucking high, is how it is!" Cyborg called. "Come down from there!"

"Friend Raven, this game _must_ stop!" Starfire agreed.

"Very funny!" Robin called, laughing. "She just wants us to tell her to come down. Are you scared to jump, Raven? We should call you _Chicken!_"

"Laugh while you can, Boy Wonder. Watch me!" Raven stretched her arms above her head and allowed herself to fall in a picture perfect swan dive towards the bay.

If Raven hadn't been not quite human, even she might have come to a rather gruesome end. As it was, everything probably would have been fine if Robin hadn't screamed, "_Raven!_" right before she hit the water.

Startled, Raven lost her concentration. Her body twisted in midair, and she met the bay in a rather ungraceful belly-flop.

"Ohhhhh!" Star gasped, covering her eyes.

"_Ouch!_" Cyborg groaned.

"I give her a nine on the dive, but a two on the landing!" Beast Boy yelled. "She's gonna feel _that_ tomorrow!"

"It's what she gets for acting like such a jackass," Cyborg grumbled. "Jeez, Robin. Don't you two know when to quit?"

Robin growled in his and Raven's defense. "It's just a _game_, Cy—"

Starfire interrupted, floating about ten feet off the ground to get a better look. "Why does she not come up?"

Robin jogged towards the shore. "Raven?"

No sign of the dark bird.

"Raven?" Beast Boy called worriedly.

"Raven!" Starfire cried, a note of terror in her voice. "Raven!"

"Ignore her," Robin snarled. "She's messing with us. She's trying to psych me out." But he walked along the shore, looking for any sign of his teammate.

"Robin, I don't think she's messing with us," Beast Boy ventured. "Even _I_ don't think this is funny."

"He's right," Robin murmured, almost to himself. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he called, "This isn't funny, Raven. Where are you?"

No answer.

"Fine! You win!" Robin yelled, fear winning out over anger in his voice this time. "I'm scared, okay?"

The four remaining Titans exchanged worried glances for one more second, and then everybody was plowing into the water, except for Starfire, who shot upwards for an aerial view.

"I see her!" the Tamaranean screamed, pointing to a shallow section of the water. "Over there."

Robin's movements, like his namesake's, had always been bird-swift. But this time he flew. Seconds later he was staggering to shore with a very unconscious Raven in his arms. Was it his imagination that she was so much paler than usual? Almost...blue?

"Is she okay?" Cyborg called, sloshing his way closer in the shallow water.

Raven was relaxed in Robin's arms, head thrown back, breasts thrust forward. Her eyes were shut tightly, the lashes starred together. Her pale lips were parted.

**_Oh my god, she's not breathing..._**

"No," Robin called, his voice rising in barely leashed panic. "She's not breathing, she's not fucking breathing!"

"_What_?"

Beast Boy had brought towels from the Tower when he had gone in to get his bathing suit, Robin remembered. Unrolling one, he lay Raven carefully down on it and knelt at her side. Voices rose around him in fear, making it difficult to not panic himself.

"I'm calling—"

"Is she—"

Robin laced his fingers over Raven's chest and began CPR. After fifteen compressions, he locked his mouth on hers and pinched her nose, giving her two quick breaths. Nothing. He tried again.

"I'm calling someone," Cyborg announced quickly, gesturing with the arm the phone was built into.

"You can't call a paramedic, we're on a friggin' _island_," Beast Boy shouted. "What are they gonna do, Medivac their way out here?"

"She's going to _die_ if we don't," Cyborg shot back, shutting the changeling up.

"Do not say such things!" Starfire hollered, dropping back to the ground. "How could you?"

"I didn't _mean—_" Beast Boy started, but Cyborg interrupted him.

"Eyes on the crisis, here, guys," he said, turning back towards Robin. "Any luck, Rob?"

"_No_," Robin growled in frustration, repeating the process. Was it his imagination she felt colder by the second?

"We must do _something_," Star cried.

"**_I'm doing all I can!_**" It was almost a scream as Robin pressed his mouth to Raven's once more.

**_Not like this_,** Robin thought. **_Please, not like this._**

It was all wrong, everything was all wrong. He'd wanted to hold her, but not like this, not with that perfect chest empty of breath, not with that soft skin so cold against his. He'd wanted to press his mouth to hers, but not like this, not to force his breath into her body.

**_Raven...I didn't want our first kiss to be like this. _**

He knotted his fingers over her chest for another fifteen compressions, because once you started CPR you didn't stop until medical help arrived, even though he knew Beast Boy was right. Help would never get there in time. No one was coming; he was alone.

"God damn it, Raven, don't do this to me." He gave her two more breaths, ready to give up, his eyes sliding closed and his forehead against hers, leaving just the warmth of his lips against her mouth.

Raven coughed.

Robin's eyes snapped open, and he drew back. Water spilled from Raven's mouth, her chest heaving with the effort it took to try to breathe. Her violet eyes were ringed in red, tears streaming down her face from the strain. She spasmed in his arms, trying to sit up. Robin cradled her carefully against his shoulder, letting her try to rip air into her lungs.

The other Titans immediately gathered around the two birds, but Robin held up a hand in warning. "Give her some space! Don't crowd her." Raven weakened in his arms and struggled to breathe for a few more minutes, eyes sliding shut.

"Raven?" he asked softly. "Talk to me, Raven."

"I can't breathe," she whispered, starred lashes fluttering.

Beast Boy let out a huge held breath in a _whoosh_. "She's okay!"

"Glorious!" Starfire cried, clasping her hands over her heart.

Raven forced her eyes open, her chest rising and falling laboriously as she relearned how to breathe. She stared up at the Boy Wonder, as if searching for something.

"What's wrong, Raven?" he asked, a look of concern on his face. "Can you hear me?"

She raised shaking hands to his face, her fingertips pressing gently to his temples, and then her nails scratching gently at his mask. She pulled it carefully off, surprising him. He blinked down at her, not used to the unfamiliar sensation of having his eyes exposed.

"Robin," Raven sighed, as if she hadn't recognized him until she had taken off his mask.

But she'd never _seen _him without his mask before…

He didn't have time to think about it now. "I'm here, Raven," he soothed, patting her hand. "Who else is here? Tell me."

Obediently, Raven pointed to each Titan in turn. "Beast Boy...Starfire...Cyborg."

"You all right, Rae?" Cyborg asked gently.

"I don't know," Raven said absently. "What...what happened?"

"We were playing a game," Robin whispered. "It just...it just went a little too far, that's all."

"Oh." Raven blinked dizzily. "Who won?"

The Titans exchanged that worried look again, glances flitting from one bird to the other. It was Robin who answered.

"Let's just be glad we didn't lose anything. Okay?"

She seemed to accept that answer, leaning against him. "I'm tired," she murmured.

"I know. I'm going to take you inside. Just...just don't close your eyes, Raven," Robin said, his voice sounding like a little boy's. "Raven? Did you hear me? Don't close your eyes..."

Raven wasn't listening. She was nuzzled against his shoulder, bleached from lack of air, his mask still clutched in her hand. Robin lifted her in the standard threshold position. Normally she would have hated being carried, but she barely stirred as he brought her back into the tower, trailed by four unhappy-looking Titans.

* * *

Like four worried parents, the Titans had immediately put Raven to bed in the Tower's makeshift infirmary. Cyborg had helpfully checked Raven's vitals, and save for running a low-grade fever, she seemed fine. But everyone was hesitant to leave her side.

Robin was sitting in a chair beside Raven's bed. He was pretending to read a book, but not pretending very well—his still-unmasked eyes kept jumping from the pages to the sleeping girl.

"She's not gonna like you being in here, Rob," Cyborg called from the hallway. "She won't like you watching her when she can't watch back."

"Tough," Robin answered, not looking up from _Fight Club_.

"She'll eat your _face_ when she wakes up," Beast Boy pressed.

"She'll be awake, that's all I car—that's all that matters," Robin said, tripping over his words.

"Robin," Starfire faltered, sensing another reason for the Boy Wonder's concern. "You must not blame yourself."

Robin did look up from the book then, favoring Star with a small, sad smile.

The Tamaranean patted her thighs, and Beast Boy morphed into a green cat, leaping into her arms. She carried him down the hall, absently petting the green fur.

Cyborg lingered a minute longer, staring at Robin. He'd never seen his best friend look so...defeated. Raven was fine, wasn't she? What was bothering him? What had been making the two of them act so strangely lately?

"Robbie? Do you wanna talk about it?"

No answer from the Boy Wonder.

Cyborg sighed in frustration. "Fine. There's no expiration date on this offer if you change your mind. Try not to fall asleep in that chair—you'll get a crick in your neck." He turned to leave the room, but something pushed him to add one more thing.

"In case this interests you, Robin," he said, "You scared Raven when you jumped from the tower. When you hit the water, she was squeezing my arm pretty hard."

Robin raised his head and blinked at his friend. Cyborg wasn't sure if he was even listening. There had to be a way to get through that thick skull, the metal man thought.

"Star's _wrong_, you know," he rumbled. "I think maybe you _ought_ to blame yourself."

Robin suddenly came to life, a spark of anger flaring in his dark eyes. "What the hell? I didn't _throw _her off the tower, Cyborg!"

"Don't _encourage _her is what I'm saying," Cyborg shot back. "You know she jumped because you did."

"I was _playing_," Robin growled, his voice thick with some feeling Cyborg couldn't place. "How was I to know she would try to outdo me? I didn't _tell_ her to try to go higher."

"You didn't have to tell her!" Cyborg roared, indicating that the discussion was closed. "Anyone could see how happy it made you."

The only sound in the room were the machines monitoring Raven's heartbeat and respiration, until the sound of Robin pitching his book at the wall split the air like a gunshot.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

_Some things:_

Robin calls Raven the **"axis of evil"** while playing Risk, which is one of my favorite games. I encourage everyone who's able to vote to do so, because we need to get Bush out of office. Cyborg also calls Robin **"Alexander the Great"**—Robin strikes me as a world-conqueror type. (smiles).

And then there's the legend of **Cassandra.** For those who don't know it and are in the market for a little Greek mythology, **Cassandra** was the beloved of the god **Apollo**. To woo Cassandra, Apollo gave her the power to predict the future. But then when they were in bed, Cassandra chickened out and said she didn't want to sleep with him. She already had the power of premonition by then, but the aggrieved Apollo found another way to punish her—Cassandra would always be able to predict the future, but no one would ever believe her; everyone would think she was mad. The moral of the story: don't anger the gods. (smiles) Personally, though, I like to think Cassandra had the last laugh—during the fall of Troy.

Beast Boy referring to Robin as **The Caped Crusader** is a nod to the old _Batman_ TV series, starring Adam West and Burt Ward. I'm trying to get some DVDs to watch late at night. Some people drink warm milk. I watch old _Batman _episodes. In the same breath, BB also calls Raven the **Punk Rock Princess**, which is actually the title of a song by **Something Corporate**.

Raven counting **"One ****Gotham**** City, two ****Gotham****City****…"** is taken directly from Beast Boy's line in the episode called "The Sum of His Parts". Likewise, when Beast Boy says, **"I give her a nine on the dive, but a two on the landing!"** is a reference to "Only Human". I just like those lines, I guess (shrugs, smiles).

Lastly, Robin is reading **Chuck ****Palahniuk's _Fight Club_** in the infirmary. I don't know, it just strikes me as up his alley (smiles).

Okay, that's it for this chapter. Feedback is _greatly _appreciated, since this was a long chapter—it took forever due to technical difficulties and I hope it turned out all right!

**Next chapter: What, you thought there wasn't going to be any _crime_ in ****Jump****City**** for the duration of this fic?**


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